Interlocking Stories
by Snidne
Summary: (Updated Summary/Prologue - Arc 2 Completed!) Summoned by the selfish whims of another, Alex Wilder, an ordinary human from an ordinary world, was sent to Equestria. Trapped in the middle of a plot from an invader of another realm and armed with a dangerous and dark power, he may yet become the hero Equestria needs... if he can live to see that day.
1. My Name is

_A/N: Greetings one and all. To those who follow me, welcome back to another story of mine. To newcomers, welcome to the wonderful prison that is my mind. So, quite a few things to say here before we start this story proper._

 _1) I will try to update this story once a week, on Saturdays PST. Please forgive me if something happens and I can't make the deadlines. If for whatever reason I need to take a break or something comes up which will stop me from updating, I will be sure to let you all know._

 _2) While this is going to be a human in Equestria story, or 'HiE' as many know it, there will be no romantic notions between any of the ponies and the human protagonist. So if you came here looking for that, then sorry but it ain't happening._

 _3) To be perfectly frank, I do not consider myself a 'brony'. I have watched maybe four actual episodes. I have seen some reviews of the show and read a really epic Mario/MLP crossover story (Found here: s/8858027/1/Paper-Mario-The-Land-of-Harmony) which inspired me to try writing this. Hey, I didn't want to feel like limiting myself just because I'm not a hardcore fan. If people insist that this does in fact make me a fan, then its probably one at the bottom of the totem pole, sort to speak._

 _And I think that's everything. Please, enjoy the work._

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Prologue: My Name Is…**_

* * *

Anyone who said that college was a time for experimenting with your life, for making mistakes and having wild parties was either incredibly lucky or a damned liar. The twenty year old Alex Wilder could only just keep himself awake in his Calculus II class enough to take notes on what the professor was saying. His life was certainly no party, though it was on the borderline of being too stressful for his well-being. He was glad enough that he could at least sleep for a significant length of time and keep up with all his coursework.

Thankfully the class ended before he could completely slip into an education-induced coma. Seriously, how could his professor have such a boring sounding voice? He swore he could put insomniacs to sleep with his borderline emotionless droning. If it wasn't for the fact that this level of math was required for his major, he would have gladly skipped the class altogether or at least taken it at another time. Putting away his books, he gave a sigh. It certainly wasn't the most glamourous life he could have chosen, but it was his.

He had been lucky to have gotten a dorm nearby, making commute to school that much easier. He was also glad that tomorrow was Sunday, and that this was his last class of the day. He made sure to have at least the one day of the week where he could unwind and generally de-stress himself without having to resort to more dangerous habits.

He ran a hand through his dark hair, his five foot ten frame rising from his chair as he grabbed his things and began to leave the classroom. Many of his fellow students were chatting with each other about things he honestly had no concern for. He cursed the need for such difficult classwork as the bane of his non-existent social life. Granted once he finished this year's coursework it would be easy sailing up ahead and he would perhaps have a decent chance to pursue a life outside of the library. He could dream, after all.

Once out in the open campus, he made his way towards where the dorms would be at. They weren't on the campus itself, rather a few blocks away, but still easily accessible by walking there rather than having to use other means of transportation. There weren't many others going his way as he left the grounds. As he approached a nearby crosswalk, he noticed a girl with long brown hair, her head bobbing a bit to the music she was listening to. Nothing about her screamed familiar, so he assumed she wasn't in any of the classes he was in.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long for the light to change. The two walked at a leisurely pace, when Alex noted something in his peripheral vision. A convertible, speeding down the street towards them. He instantly recognized the fact that it was moving way too fast to properly stop and avoid hitting them. He panicked, wanting to run instantly, but noticed that the girl had not even noticed the oncoming danger. Thinking quickly, he pushed her out of the way, ignoring her shout of protest as he turned to see the vehicle nearly on him. He closed his eyes quickly bracing himself for impact.

He never would have imagined that he would go out like this. But fate had different plans for him. Instead of the sickening sound of metal meeting flesh, Alex felt a hand on his shoulder and a voice whisper into his ear. "You will do nicely."

And then, his consciousness faded.

* * *

Waking up to a white ceiling wasn't exactly what Alex had been expecting, considering it didn't tell him anything about being alive or dead. How was he to know what the afterlife consisted of? He was never much of a religious person to begin with anyway. But the distinct lack of pain in his body didn't bode well for him. Unless the drugs he was on were that good. He lifted his arm, and found that he could do so without worry. No IVs were stuck in him and upon sitting up he found he was still in the same clothes he was wearing before. So he knew this place wasn't a hospital.

Still, as he looked around, he could hardly believe where he was at. It looked nothing like anything he had ever seen before. The ceiling was high and he looked to be in a rather large room that was currently devoid of anything aside from some support columns with ivy growing on them. The green of the ivy was popping out against the otherwise dull white that surrounded him. At the far end of the room he could see a set of double doors leading to who knows where.

Standing up completely, Alex shook his arms and legs to ensure they were working. Surprisingly there was no pain to be found anywhere. Deciding it to be the only course of action, he walked towards the doors with the intent of opening them.

"Leaving so soon? How rude."

Alex turned around at the voice to see a strange sight. The formerly empty room now contained a table and two chairs that he was definitely sure did not exist there before. Set on the table were two cups with a steaming hot liquid inside. In the middle of the table was a teapot on a stand. Before each chair was a small china plate complete with a slice of cake with white frosting and a luscious strawberry on top.

The only thing stranger than that was the fact the other chair was occupied. Alex had been quite certain that he had woken up alone, and while he could be forgiven for not thinking that someone could be hiding in this strange place, he was sure that this person would stand out. He wore a button down shirt and dark slacks as he casually rested on the chair. Dark blue hair adorned his head and his eyes were closed for the moment. He wore a pair of black gloves as he used one hand to stir the contents of the cup before him with a silver spoon.

Alex looked around for a moment before pointing to himself. "Were you talking to me?"

The man before him chuckled before opening his eyes to look at him. Alex noted that he had crimson colored eyes. "Well, I don't see anyone else here. Come, sit and enjoy yourself. You must have plenty of questions and I prefer that we relax a bit before you start to interrogate me." Alex hesitantly made his way to the table, sitting down on the offered chair. For a brief instance, he thought of the book _Alice in Wonderland_ and pondered if he should be on the lookout for white rabbits. The man before him began to drink his beverage, which Alex rightfully guessed as tea. He stirred his own cup for a moment, wondering if he himself had lost his mind. This had to be a hallucination. "Something wrong with your tea?"

"Ah? No, not really. It's just I'm more of a coffee fan myself."

The man before him blinked a few times before giving a deep sigh. "Oh thank the heavens!" He immediately reached for the teapot and threw it over his shoulders violently. Alex expected to hear a crash of the delicate pot hitting the ground. Instead, where the teapot was a pot of coffee now stood. Alex looked to the cup he had and realized that it and the contents changed to match the new pot. "Honestly, I like tea as much as the next guy, but coffee is truly the superior choice in my book. Glad to meet someone who understands these things." He reached out and Alex noticed that there were now several ceramic containers filled with cream. The man poured some into his cup, stirring the contents together before taking a drink. "Ah, invigorating. Please drink up before it gets cold. And do try the cake; I made it myself."

Alex was sure of it. He had definitely lost his mind. The best thing now would be to play along.

Reaching for some cream, he poured it into his cup and stirred before taking a drink. It was a rather interesting blend, he realized, brewed not too strongly to be overpowering, but just enough that one could really feel the effects. Noting a fork by his plate, which he wasn't sure if it had always been there or just recently came into being, Alex took a bite of the cake. He was surprised to find how tasty it was. This, whatever this situation was, certainly seemed to be trying to impress him.

For a few minutes Alex and the other man merely ate and drank quietly. When the cake was gone, the man refilled his cup and gave a relaxed sigh. "See, isn't it nice to relax and enjoy yourself? Honestly, everyone seems to be in such a hurry all the time."

Deciding to no longer be quiet and hopefully get some answers Alex asks, "So who are you? And where am I?"

"Good questions! Unfortunately, I have no intention of answering the first one," he said cheerfully taking another drink of coffee. "As for where you are… well, it's a bit difficult to explain. Let's just say this is… a dimension I created."

"You created," he couldn't help but ask. The improbability of it all would have sent warning flags already, but he had no way to know if the man before him was lying. "So… what are you some kind of god or something?"

"A god? Me?" He began to laugh, as if such a suggestion would be considered foolhardy. "Please, there is nothing divine about me. I merely have power, that's all. A power far beyond what you can conceive anyway."

Alex grimaced. So far this wasn't lending itself to be anything more than the supposed workings of a delusional mind. Before he could voice this though, the man continued, "Oh don't worry. You are perfectly sane and not dead. At least not yet anyway. I may have brought you here, but I suppose you could say you were simply in the right place at the right time."

"How do I know this is even real," Alex said. The man smiled wide at this, before quickly throwing something at Alex, striking him in the chest. It took him a moment to register that there was now a knife sticking out of his body, but the moment it did, pain registered as well. He shouted in surprise and pain as he frantically tried to pull out the offending weapon. Before he could even get a proper grasp on it though, the man had already closed the gap between them, slamming his foot onto his face and knocking him and the chair back.

Alex howled in agony, clenching his eyes shut and immediately raising his arms to shield his face from further damage. More painful sensations rocked his body as he felt more knives embedding themselves into his skin. He could feel the blood leaving him as his arms and eventually his whole body shook as a result from the shock of blood loss.

And then suddenly it was over. Alex found himself back on the chair, watching the man before him take another drink of his coffee. The young man panicked as he frantically checked his body over. The pain was gone, as were the blood and wound marks. There was no sign that he had come close to losing his life. In fact the only thing that seemed to change was the fact that his plate now had a new slice of cake on it.

"Believe me now," the man asked, speaking calmly as if he had just not tried to kill him. Alex suddenly felt extremely weary of this person. Scratch that, he was downright terrified. If he wasn't crazy then whoever this person was certainly had to be. "More cake? You look like you can use it." Alex made no move to try and eat the cake. He could not take his eyes off the person before him.

"What… what the hell just happened," he practically shouted. A part of him wanted to get up and run, perhaps go through the doors behind him. Another part however was too scared to move in case the man would do something else.

"Well, I simply proved this to be real to you, that's all. Honestly, you should be lucky that we are in this place. Anywhere else and well, I may have to really try to ensure I don't accidentally kill you. Unless you need more convincing?" Alex quickly shook his head. He had no desire to go though… whatever that was again. "Excellent. Now then, I believe its time I owe you an explanation of why I brought you here."

Alex straightened up at that. Now accepting the fact that, yes, this situation wasn't a product of his overly stressed out mind, he couldn't help but wonder why he was here. "So… why am I here?"

"Well, in short… I'm bored. So I want you to entertain me."

Shock quickly changed to confusion, which changed even faster into anger. Alex slammed his hands on the table as he stood up. "WHAT!?"

"I wasn't aware that I stuttered. I'm bored, so I want you to relieve that boredom."

"Are you joking," he yelled. Anger flooded his veins. He had been essentially kidnapped just to be someone's court jester? He wouldn't stand for something like that. It had to be some sick, twisted joke the universe was playing on him. "What kind of stupid reason is that?"

"I applaud your guts in saying that to me, considering what I just demonstrated I could do to you without even trying," he said. At the mention of it, the memory quickly caused Alex to stiffen and his anger to momentarily recede. "But killing you wouldn't serve any purpose, since you would be so much more interesting alive. So from this moment on, you are going to be my new plaything."

Alex felt his anger once more reach a boiling point at the mention of being a 'plaything'. "Don't you dare patronize me! I am no one's toy! I'm a person! A person with a life and a name! My name is-!"

And suddenly Alex found he could no longer speak. In fact his body wouldn't move at all. The man before him stood up, and Alex noted that the table that had been between them had disappeared. "I don't care. Such things are meaningless to me. I don't care about your name just as you don't really care about mine." He walked forwards standing before Alex and suddenly he couldn't help but show his fear of him. An oppressive weight seemed to hang in the air between them and if not for what he assumed this man's power was Alex felt like he would have collapsed to the ground before him. "Knowing my name doesn't make you hate me any more or less. Just as me knowing your name doesn't stop you from becoming my toy. But don't worry. I take care of my toys."

Panic was running through his veins as the man before him smiled. "Now then… I'm going to be sending you off to your new home. Do try to grow accustomed to it. As for specifics… well, you don't particularly have to do anything. I trust you'll be entertaining to watch. And I will be watching."

And suddenly Alex had the sensation of falling. Darkness pressed all around him as he became lost in the sensations overwhelming him. The fear, the confusion, the anger, the stress mounting on him as he shut his eyes and once more allowed his mind to shut down.

From within the room that Alex was just in, the man smiled to himself. "Well, everything is done for now. I do hope that he can entertain me for a little while anyway." He walked towards the doors in the room which opened without a word, leading to an abyss of darkness. "Alex Wilder… I look forward to the story you will write."

The doors closed behind him with a resounding thud, locking the room into its blissful sleep once more.

* * *

 _ **Arc 1: A Call From Beyond - Begins!**_


	2. Welcome to Ponyville

_A/N: So, fairly positive response for the story... Thanks to **Kaled1004** and **Nickle7654** for the favs. To think that I got any kind of response, even for just the Prologue is wonderful. Spread the love and I hope many more readers will come.  
_

 _That said, there is something I neglected to mention in the Prologue that I should address here as we finally get to the pony stuff. The story takes place after the Season 4 Finale but before the Season 5 Premiere. It also takes into account both Equestria Girls movies as true and canon. My story, my rules._

 _Now please enjoy the obligatory 'Hero meets the Mane 6' introductions chapte- wait. Can we really call him the Hero yet? Maybe not yet..._

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 1: Welcome to Ponyville**_

* * *

In a large castle within the otherwise quiet little town of Ponyville, one lavender Alicorn Princess known far and wide as Twilight Sparkle was having a relatively stressful morning. Of course, to anyone who knew her, this was absolutely nothing uncommon. From being the personal student of Equestria's current ruler, Princess Celestia, the bearer of the Element of Magic, and her newly appointed role as the Princess of Friendship, her life was constantly filled with stressful situations, both from outside sources and of her own makings. The only difference between this and any other time was what was causing her stress.

Naturally, to counter these stressful situations, Twilight was indulging in her most favored pastime of reading. Her horn was glowing with magic as she held up a book while munching on a piece of toast with strawberry jam. She had honestly no clue as to what exactly she should do, and she was honestly unsure that the contents of the book would give her an answer. But the act of reading always helped to calm her down and allow her to think rationally.

"Good morning Twilight," came a young voice from a nearby doorway. Walking into the room was a young purple and green scaled baby dragon known as Spike, Twilight's number one assistant. Having been hatched from an egg by Twilight and subsequently raised by both Celestia in his early years and Twilight herself in his later years, Spike had become rather good at his job, whether it was finding a book for research or keeping Twilight anchored to reality whenever she got into her 'obsessions' as he so delicately thought of them.

"Morning Spike. How's our guest doing?"

"Still hasn't woken up yet," he said, reaching into a cupboard and pulling out a few gemstones to eat. Nothing said delicious like emeralds for breakfast. "I'm still having a hard time believing that he's here."

"I know Spike. But the fact that he's here at all, and in that form no less, must mean something important." The 'guest' they had been discussing was a real live human, found passed out at the edge of the Everfree Forest by one of Twilight's friends, a yellow Pegasus mare named Fluttershy. Fluttershy had expressed concern about his condition and offered to care for him, but Twilight had reasoned that out of everyone they knew, only she and Spike had any real interaction with humans before. Thus, the human had been brought to the castle to rest. It had already been a full day since then and the human hadn't woken up since.

At first, she had believed that he had come out of a portal somewhere, but from where he was found, and the search nearby to see what else might be found, had resulted in nothing. The only clue was to wait for the human to awaken, with hopefully an explanation about where he had come from. Of course, she was not the only one who had been curious.

Pinkie Pie, a mare colored exactly as her name implied, had already begun making plans for the Welcome-the-first-ever-human-to-Equestria-and-Ponyville Party (Her words, not Twilight's) promising it to be a spectacular bash. Applejack, an Earth Pony, and Rainbow Dash, a Pegasus Pony, had visited as well, curious to see what a human looked like. As good as Twilight was with words, sometimes those words could not do the thing justice. Though Twilight had explained what humans were, they definitely had to see it to believe it. Rarity, the Unicorn Pony, had also came by, though by looking at the human's body type and current clothing, had rushed back to her shop claiming to be 'inspired' to trying something new.

Of course, Twilight promised her friends that she would let them know when the human awoke, but she was unsure when that would be. He had slept all day yesterday and showed no signs of awakening today. Still, she knew it would be prudent to check up on him just in case. Leaving Spike to his breakfast, she made her way to one of the many guest rooms in the castle where the human was resting.

He had been carefully put to bed as he quietly rested the up and down movements of his chest the only sign that he was indeed alive and well. There had been no markings on him that signified a struggle just that he had passed out at some point. He looked to be quite tall, if what she could tell of his frame was correct, perhaps nearly as tall as Princess Celestia herself. His dark hair fell lightly over his brow, his expression peaceful and undisturbed. She knew that humans dreamed and wondered if Princess Luna, the younger sister of Celestia, could see into them and perhaps speak to him from there. It would make things somewhat easier if she could. Turning away from him, she looked to the object that was resting against the wall next to the bed.

The object in question was a short sword, the metal gleaming as though recently polished. She had seen plenty of them used by the Royal Guards back when she had lived in Canterlot, though the human looked nothing like a guard or knight. He wore no armor after all, but the blade had been found on his body and thus it was assumed to belong to him as well. The hilt of the sword had the letters 'A.W.' engraved on it, which was probably a clue to his name.

Twilight observed the human for a few minutes, ensuring that his rest was peaceful. While not a nurse by any stretch of the imagination, she did know a few things about what looked healthy and correct from a few books she had read in the alternate world of Canterlot High School. Placing a hoof over his head, she was glad to see that he wasn't running a fever.

His expression suddenly changed as he let out a low groan. Twilight perked up at this and grabbed a nearby chair to sit on. "Spike! Spike, I think he's waking up!" The young dragon quickly rushed into the room at being called, nearly tripping over himself as he raced to Twilight's side. Slowly, the human opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to try and adjust himself to the light. "Hello," Twilight greeted in the friendliest way possible. His head turned to face Twilight and stared.

The human promptly fainted once more. For a full minute there was silence in the room. "Well, that could have gone better," Spike finally said.

* * *

Alex could feel wakefulness tingling at the edge of his consciousness. He felt he had been sleeping for who knew how long, and if he were to be honest, it had felt good. He couldn't remember the last time he simply slept in and awoke whenever he felt like it. Of course, now that he was on the verge of waking up, something felt wrong. For whatever reason, he could not remember falling asleep in the first place.

He carefully opened his eyes, seeing a crystal ceiling above him. _At least it's not white._ He stopped himself at the thought. Where had it come from? He wasn't sure why white ceilings would bother him, but for whatever reason it did. He concentrated, trying to remember what he had been doing before waking up in this bed. It certainly didn't feel like his bed anyway.

"Hello," came a bright, cheerful voice beside him. Alex turned to see the strangest sight of his life so far. Sitting in a chair next to him was a purple horse, ( _No,_ he thought, _too small… a pony?_ ) with a horn resting on its head and a pair of wings at its side. He wasn't one for believing in mythical creatures, but this certainly seemed like one. Next to the pony was a lizard ( _Feels wrong… a dragon?_ ) with purple and green scales. It looked smaller than the pony, signaling that it was likely only a child at most.

He blinked a few times, trying to make the apparition go away. When that failed, he was now confronted with the reality that there was a pony and a dragon at his bedside, probably having watched him sleeping, and that apparently one of them at least could talk. Naturally, with this information added to what he already knew to be true, lead to the only possible logical conclusion.

He fainted.

When he next woke up, it was again to the same pony and dragon, now looking over him with worry. "Oh my gosh, are you ok? Oh, I knew I should have prepared something for this. But there's never been a recorded instance of a human in Equestria and I didn't know what to do and-."

"Twilight, let him breathe," the dragon said. "Sorry about that, she gets excited easily."

"Not the time, Spike…"

Alex, while still confused, could at least now put names to the faces he was seeing. He sat himself up, shaking his head of the cobwebs that seemed to be clouding his thoughts. Still, he felt it best to stay his hand, at least until he knew more about where he was and what he was doing here. "Ok… so apparently I am not dreaming then. So where am I? And who exactly are you?"

"Oh sorry, where are my manners. My name is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. And this is my assistant Spike," the mare said introducing them. The young dragon gave a friendly wave. "On behalf of everyone, I welcome you to Equestria. This place is my castle, currently in Ponyville."

"Ok… my name is Alex Wilder," he said, feeling that he could be truthful about this if they were going to be. "I come from… well, I guess you can just call it Earth."

"Earth huh? Strange name if you ask me," Spike said.

"In any case, my next question. How in the world did I end up here?"

"Well… we were kind of hoping that you could tell us that," Twilight said uncertain. "You were found at the edge of a place called the Everfree Forest by my friend Fluttershy. You were passed out, so we brought you here to recover. We couldn't find any clues as to how you got there. So can you remember anything? A magic portal? A rip in space-time?"

Alex tried hard to think of how he could have gotten himself into this predicament. Clearly he knew this was not his home, but he had never before heard of things like Equestria or the Everfree Forest. He tried to remember the last thing he had been doing before awakening. He had been walking down a street. He recalled seeing a girl. Then a car speeding by and a light…

" _You are my plaything."_

His body stiffened as anger rushed into his veins. "Are you okay," Twilight asked, taking note of his strange behavior.

"Yeah," he said rubbing his head. Bits and pieces were starting to come back. The white room. The person within who had seemed friendly, yet only cared for his own machinations. The anger. Things were coming together for him now. This world, Equestria, he had been sent to in order to entertain some sadistic, manipulative being. But why and what was he supposed to do? The person, whom he realized that he never got a name from him, had said that he didn't have to do anything at all. So why bother taking him from his own world into this one.

His own world… such a sentence he would never before imagine thinking. But that was the truth, and trying to blind himself to it would not help him in getting back home. Admittedly a large part of him wanted to see this as nothing more than a dream. But that small part of him, the part that remembered the twisted insanity that the mysterious person used to confirm reality to him was just telling him to accept it for now.

Still, it left him with another predicament. Should he tell her about this mysterious person? On one hand, she probably deserved to know the truth, seeing how hospitable she was being to what clearly was an alien being in her home. She could have easily threw him in a cell somewhere or worse yet left him to die in the wild. On the other hand, there was no telling what that person would do should he reveal his existence to others. While it wasn't as if he had forbade Alex from speaking about him, Alex had no idea what he would do should he talk about him. He clearly had a few screws loose, considering what he had seen.

"Sorry, I don't recall any kind of portal, just this weird sensation of falling," he said to her. Not a lie, but not the entirety of the truth either. Perhaps for the best not to mention him just yet. "So I really am… here. Talk about a trip away from home."

"Don't worry, I'm sure to find a way to help you. I promise. Oh, I almost forgot. I told my friends about you and they wanted to meet you. I think it would be a good idea to introduce you to them," Twilight said. "You don't mind do you?"

"Ah, no… that's fine. I suppose these friends of yours can help me then?"

"Of course," Twilight said cheerfully. "Spike, keep our guest company while I go get everyone else."

"You got it Twilight," Spike said giving a salute. Twilight left the two, leaving Alex to endure a somewhat awkward silence with the young baby dragon. He honestly had no clue what to talk to him about. Mostly because until just a few minutes ago, something like Spike he could not even fathom existing. What exactly did you say to something you previously thought only existed in fairy tales and myths? Thankfully, the young dragon broke the silence. "So… a human huh?"

"Um, yeah… listen, I don't mean to sound rude, but it's still kind of sinking in that your, well, a dragon," Alex said, trying not to sound offensive. "I mean, I've never actually seen one before so I don't know how to feel about this…"

"Ah, it's cool," he said dismissing it. "Twilight and I were kind of freaked out when we saw humans for the first time too. I guess it's more surprising that you are here instead of in that other world."

Alex raised an eyebrow at the mention of another world. Just how many of them existed? It at least let him know just why the two of them were taking his appearance so well. "I see… well, you aren't exactly what I pictured a dragon being. I thought they were all giant and ferocious and stuff."

"Yeah, well, I'm just a baby dragon. And take it from me, but most dragons I found are just a bunch of jerks," he said slightly put off. "I mean, yeah I guess they are pretty big and scary and stuff, but that's not really me. I never cared for being that kind of dragon."

"Right," he said, wondering what more he would come to learn about this whole experience. For now, he considered mentally preparing himself for meeting Twilight's friends. If what he had seen so far was anything to go by, then it was likely that Twilight's friends were also ponies like her. "So, Twilight's friends… do you know anything about them? Anything I should know?"

"Oh yeah, tons of stuff! There's Applejack, she's an Earth Pony. She's really strong and runs an apple farm called Sweet Apple Acres with her family. They make some of the best apple treats in all of Ponyville. Then there's Fluttershy, she's a Pegasus. She takes care of animals. She's really nice." Alex recalled Twilight mentioning a Fluttershy who had discovered him near someplace called the Everfree Forest. He supposed thanks were in order.

"Then you got Rainbow Dash. She's part of Ponyville's Weather Team, and the fastest Pegasus you'll ever meet. She's the kind of friend who would never let you down. Then there's Pinkie Pie. She organizes all the parties in Ponyville. Come to think of it, she's probably planning a party for you right now."

"Um, may I ask why?"

"Well, you are new to Ponyville and it's kind of her thing… Anyway, the last of Twilight's friends is the most beautiful, generous and fashion forward Unicorn you'll ever meet… Rarity," he said, practically gushing her name. It didn't take a fool to realize just how the young dragon felt about said pony, though Alex thought it strange.

 _Then again, I'm having a conversation with a dragon,_ he thought. _I suppose I should rethink what I find strange._ Before he could think more on it, the door opened once more revealing six mares.

* * *

"Um, Twilight… are you sure this is a good idea," came the timid voice of the Pegasus named Fluttershy. "I mean, I really hope he's okay, but I'm kind of worried about this..."

"Fluttershy, you were the first one to find him," a cyan blue Pegasus said, flying just above the group of five as they made their way through Twilight's castle. "Besides, I don't think he's that scary looking. I mean, he's big, but we've taken on bigger."

"Rainbow's right," came a voice with a slight Southern drawl. "'Sides, I brought us a peace offering just in case." To emphasize, the mare pointed to the small box she was carrying on her flank that was leaking the delicious smell of cooked apples. "Twi's told us all about them there human folks when she went through that portal. If he was dangerous, she wouldn't let him in the castle."

"Yeah," came an extremely excited voice. "Besides, it's way too late to cancel my 'Welcome-the-first-ever-human-to-Equestria-and-Ponyville' Party! I've already got all the balloons and cupcakes and punch ready. We just need some confetti and streamers and games and party hats and its go time!" The excited pink pony bounced around on her puffy tail as she spoke, looking like she was having the time of her life.

"Everything will be just fine," Twilight said, reassuring her friend as she led the way to the room Alex was staying in. Truthfully, she still had so many questions for the human, but having already sent a letter to Princess Celestia asking for advice, she figured the questions could come later. For now, she would do her best to make their impromptu guest feel welcome for however long he was going to stay.

"And we will be right there with you the whole time, so do try to relax, won't you dear," a white Unicorn said.

"Okay, I'll try…"

"Here we are girls," Twilight said, opening the door and stepping inside. The human, Alex, straightened up at seeing them walk in. "I'm back! Are you feeling a bit better?"

"Oh, yes. Much better than earlier, thanks. So, I take it these are your friends?" Alex waited patiently, carefully looking at their expressions and judging their reactions to him.

Deciding to be the first to take initiative, the orange pony stepped up first. "Well howdy there. My name is Applejack, and on behalf of all of Sweet Apple Acres, welcome to Ponyville! And to show our hospitality, I brought you something from mah farm." She reached for the box she had and handed it to Alex, who took it a bit hesitantly. Opening it, he was surprised to see a plate holding a piece of what was unmistakably apple pie and a fork. "A nice slice of pie, courtesy of Granny Smith."

Alex gazed at the pie and back to the pony who handed it to him. Said pony had orange fur and a golden colored mane and tail that reminded him of wheat fields, wearing a Stetson hat on her head. On her flank, he noticed the image of three apples and wondered if it was something of significance referring to her name. He noticed that they all had markings on them, save for Spike. He filed it away for later thinking. For now, he decided to try the treat in front of him.

Alex was no fool. He knew this was more than just some welcoming gift. But she seemed decent and honest enough about her intentions. He cut a piece of the pie with the provided fork and took a bite. He was shocked at the fresh taste of apple and cinnamon that seemed to spread a warmth throughout his body. The shock must have been evident on his face, as Applejack was wearing a proud, and slightly smug, grin. "This is… really good," he said, somewhat lost for words. "Thank you, Miss Applejack."

"Aw, none of that formal stuff. Just Applejack is fine," she said.

Now that the ice was broken between them, the next pony to introduce themselves bounced forwards to meet him. Literally. All he could think of in seeing her was pink. Her mane and coat were various shades of pink, which made her marking, blue and yellow balloons, stand out all the more. "Hi, my name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but my friends just call me Pinkie Pie, or just Pinkie! I'm Ponyville's Party Planner Extraordinaire! So what's your favorite type of party? I like surprise parties, but birthday parties are great too cause there is lots of singing and presents involved! Do you like vanilla cake or chocolate cake? Or maybe strawberry cake or lemon cake or peanut butter and sardine cake even though that last one wasn't really popular but I think I needed a bit more peanut butter on it."

Alex merely stared at the over-excited pony with a look of impressiveness and concern. Impressed that she could say all that without pausing to take a breath, and concerned because of the exact same reason. "Um… hi," he said somewhat unsure of what else to say.

"You look pretty neat, I've never met a real live human before. Twilight's told us all about them but you look a bit different than I thought you would. Oh, are these things arms," she said holding up one of his arms before appearing on the other side of the bed and ruffling his hair. "And this must be your mane! But Twilight said you humans call it something else."

"Pinkie, I think you've introduced yourself enough," Twilight said, seeing the increasingly uncomfortable look on Alex's face. "Let him get a chance to meet everypony else, okay?"

"Okie dokie lokie," she said bouncing off to rejoin the group. Alex looked a bit disheveled, but recovered quickly.

"Um, yes… very nice to meet you then, Pinkie."

"Sup, name's Rainbow Dash, the fastest and best flier in all of Equestria," the cyan Pegasus proudly exclaimed. Alex noted her mane was colored exactly like her name suggested, and her marking was that of a cloud with a multi-colored lightning bolt. Upon hearing her, the first immediate thought was 'tomboy'. Suddenly, she flew up to him and got in his face, giving a small glare. "By the way, you better not be thinking of doing something suspicious here, otherwise you'll have me to answer to."

"Rainbow," Twilight said in exasperation. "You don't need to go overboard with this."

"Hey, I just want to let him know we aren't pushovers, okay," she said, though she backed off all the same. Alex watched her with a weary look and a hint of anger. He could already tell they would not be getting along well.

"Please darling, you're making quite the scene," the next pony said, a lavender mane and white body. Her markings were that of three diamonds and judging by the way Spike was watching her in obvious affection in his eyes, he could guess who this was. "My name is Rarity, and I'd pardon the behavior of my dear friend here. She can be a bit overzealous at times."

"Overzealous, right," he muttered under his breath. Speaking up clearly, he continued, "Very nice to meet you Rarity. Spike has told me quite a number of things about you." From the corner of his eye, he could see the young dragon tense up.

"Oh did he now? Well, Spikey-Wikey has always been quite the gentlecolt," she said feeling as though she were praised. Alex couldn't help but think she was one of those kinds of ponies who must have lived in high-society or something close to it. He had to wonder what the rest of Ponyville looked like, especially since it had its own castle after all. He almost missed her remarks of, "I must admire your choice of clothing. The casual wear looks quite nice on you, but I have to wonder if it could use more flair. Would you mind terribly if I could design some clothing for you to model? I've never designed something for humans so I daresay it would be a worthy challenge for me."

Alex blinked at the somewhat odd request. It was then that he realized that he didn't have anything but the clothes on his back to wear and certainly no money to his name. He wondered if his type of currency would even be accepted by these ponies in this new world. "Um, thank you for the offer, but I don't think I can repay you for it."

"Oh heavens, I wouldn't dare think to charge you for something like this, especially in the situation you have been put in," she said, as if the very idea was foolish. "The challenge alone would be more than worth any amount of Bits, not to mention the wonderful inspirations I could gain from it."

"Oh, well," he said a bit flustered at her generous offer. "In that case, I would be honored."

Finally the last pony walked up, a bit shyly, and Alex deduced this one was Fluttershy. She hid most of her face behind her long pink mane and muttered almost completely in an inaudible tone, "Hello, my name is Fluttershy." Alex would have almost completely missed it if he wasn't straining to hear her.

"Ah yes… Twilight mentioned that you found me by someplace called the Everfree Forest? I have to thank you for that. If you didn't find me when you did, I would undoubtedly have met a more… unfortunate end."

Fluttershy seemed to perk up a bit at that, though her words didn't seem to convey her feelings. "Oh no, I didn't do anything special. I'm sure anypony else would have done the same thing."

"Regardless, you did save me. So I guess that would make me in your debt then."

"Oh no, really, it wasn't anything special, honest."

Alex felt she would go on being completely humble about it so he decided to drop the issue. "Very well, I suppose it's my turn to share. My name is Alex Wilder, and… well, I'm a human from another world." Even saying it aloud, however true it was, could not shake the awkwardness of saying it. "I'm… not entirely sure how I got here, but I hope I can count on you all to help me get back home."

"Of course," Rarity said nodding. "Twilight told us all about the circumstances in finding you. It must be just ghastly to wake up someplace you know nothing about."

"Well, you got nothing to worry about partner," Applejack said. "With Twi on the case, I'm sure you'll manage to find your way back home."

"Hold it," Pinkie said, popping up from behind Alex, causing him to flinch in surprise. "We still haven't had our welcoming party yet! Twilight, be sure to being him by in one hour! AJ, Dashie, to the Partymobile!" Pinkie quickly grabbed the two ponies and dragged them off. Everyone remaining watched them go in surprise.

"Is she… always like this?"

"Well, it is Pinkie dear. In any case, I should be off. I'd like to get a few more sketches done before the party. Toodles!" With that, Rarity was off.

"I should get going too. I need to make sure Angel is fed before I come by," Fluttershy said. She floated up to Alex and began to fluff his pillows. "Now, you rest up and make sure you don't do anything to strain yourself, ok?" Alex nodded. For some reason, simply looking at her was enough to evoke a reaction of wanting to protect her. He had to wonder if that was some kind of natural ability she had and whether or not she was aware of it. "I'll see you all later."

Once more it was back to Twilight, Spike and Alex. "Well, I guess we should let you rest up for the party later. We'll come back to pick you up when it's time to go, okay?"

"Sure thing," Alex said, settling himself back into the bed. He had a lot of things to think over and try to make sense of before his welcoming party. He wondered who would attend such a thing. Perhaps the ponies of Ponyville, which seemed like the obvious answer. After the two left, Alex gazed around the room more. He hadn't thought to look over it much, but it was clear it was only a spare bedroom that lacked any sort of personal touch. There was nothing besides a bed, a nightstand and a closet. Further observation though revealed the short sword resting against a wall. Alex looked at it curiously, stepping out of bed to get a better look. Picking it up, he was surprised by how light it felt in his hands. Looking it over, he noticed the inscription of 'A.W.' on the hilt of the blade,

 _Just a coincidence_ , he thought.

He gave a surprised yell and dropped the blade, hearing it clang on the ground as words began to appear on the actual blade itself. The letters came out in elegant, neat cursive writing as they formed a small sentence.

' _Just in case.'_

Alex stared at the words, even as they began to fade away. Now completely sure, he knew exactly where this weapon had come from. A part of him wanted to take the thing, throw it into the closet and forget it ever existed. But he knew that he couldn't do that. Even if he had no idea how to use it, Alex could not throw away what was likely his only defense in this world.

The door opened again, causing Alex to jump, but he settled down when only Spike came through. "Hey you okay? Twilight says it's time to go." Alex merely nodded not yet trusting himself to speak. Spike noticed the sword on the ground and picked it up. "Oh hey, I almost forgot about this. This is yours right?" Alex was unsure what to say. Technically it wasn't as he had never owned such a weapon in his life. At the same time though…

"Yeah, it's mine," he said reaching out and taking the blade before resting it against his bed. "Where did you find it?"

"Fluttershy said it was right next to you. Well, come on we don't want to keep Twilight waiting. She likes to be punctual." Alex followed Spike out, noticing the almost completely unnecessary large hallways and pathways that led to who knew where. He knew he would have to take time to explore this castle more in order not to get lost.

Meeting Twilight at the door, they stepped out into Ponyville proper. Alex was surprised at how quaint the place looked, almost like a suburban neighborhood. He had expected something grander in scale, but by the looks of things, the castle itself seemed to be the largest and fanciest building for miles. The sun was close to setting, as they walked by several houses and strangely shaped buildings. Spike pointed out a few places of interest, including the Town Hall, a gingerbread-like home called Sugercube Corner, and Rarity's boutique.

As they followed the path towards the outskirts of town, Alex could see something big and red in the far distance that they seemed to be heading towards. A few minutes later and he recognized it as a barn, and he could start to recognize the scent of fresh apples. Apparently their final destination was to be Applejack's farm, Sweet Apple Acres.

Along the way, Alex couldn't help but wonder where everyone was. He was certain that he would have seen plenty of other creatures, most likely ponies, on the way and was preparing himself to be stared and gawked at. But the town was strangely empty, despite just being the end of the day. He had expected at least some ponies to be out and about, likely heading home after a day's work.

He had to wonder just what ponies did for work. Something to ask Twilight later, he guessed.

"Hey, Twilight," Alex began, as she turned to face him. "So, Spike was telling me about Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasus… but I noticed that you appear different than any of those."

"Oh, yes. I'm what's called an Alicorn. All of us Princesses are Alicorns. We represent the aspects of all types of Ponies, being able to fly and use magic."

"Wait, Princesses? As in, more than one of you? Wait, you can use magic!?" Everything was starting to get more unbelievable as she went on.

"Ah, I guess I didn't explain about myself too well. Sorry, it's been a bit of a hectic week for me." Alex wanted to question about it, but they had arrived at the barn, their destination. Demonstrating a bit of her magic, Twilight's horn glowed and the door to the barn opened, revealing the dark interior. "Go ahead, guests first." Alex stepped in hesitantly. His eyes were trying to get used to the darkness and he could make out several faint shapes. Suddenly the lights came on, as he covered his eyes to avoid being blinded.

"Alright! It's time to PARTY!"

* * *

 _Chapter 1 End!_

 _Alex has met the Mane 6, the Heroes of Equestria and now it's party time! But while fun and games are just on the horizon, the nagging fears in his mind still plague him. Will he learn to let go and enjoy the time he has? Or does the unknown threat of the one who got him into this mess still have sway over him?_

 _Find out next time!_


	3. Parties, Princesses, and Peril

_A/N: A big thank you to **TheExternus** for the fav. Another fan pleased with my work so far, more motivation to keep on improving wherever I can. Onwards to a bright future!_

 _ **Nickle7654:** Thanks for the review! Yes, I did want to do something a bit different than what most might do. While 'Human being summoned to Equestria by Portal/Main Character/Love Interest/Celestia/Third Party' itself isn't much of an original idea, the idea behind the motivations of the one who brings him is less likely to be explored. Most of the time this is done, and not just in MLP stories, the reasons are more Heroic or at least more mysterious and vague. Here it's blunt and selfish. A nice contrast really. I'm hoping you will enjoy this more and more._

 _And now, as Pinkie Pie would say: 'IT'S PARTY TIME!'_

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 2: Parties, Princesses and Peril**_

* * *

To say he would have been floored was the most underestimated statement of his life. As it was, Alex was surrounded by several ponies of all colors constantly asking him questions. They ranged from mundane (What kind of product do you use for your mane?), to personal (Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are they here too?"), to weird (Do you really not have any fur? If I could see under these clothes for a brief moment…").

Alex had asked several of his own questions as well. He learned that the markings that most of the ponies had were called 'Cutie Marks' (An odd name he thought), and they represented their special talents. It seemed a bit strange to him that a mere marking could unveil one's destiny, but he supposed that if a pony knew what they were good at they would like doing it more and thus it wouldn't seem like a job to them but an endeavor of passion. A far different cry from his own life and what he wanted to do with it.

He also learned about some of the other Princesses that Twilight mentioned, Celestia and Luna, and how they had control over the sun and moon respectively. Alex was a bit impressed and frightened all at once at the prospect of a single being holding that much power. Especially when he heard that the two of them, who were sisters, had existed well over a thousand years ago when they first came to rule over the land. It seemed to remind him too much of that person within the white room. The ponies assured him though that they were benevolent rulers who cared deeply for their subjects. Alex wondered if he would ever get the chance to meet them. Undoubtedly they could help him get back home.

Several of the Unicorns invited showed off a bit of their magical talents, to Alex's wonder. 'Magic' as it was back home was simply referred as tricks and illusions, things that were slight-of-hand and had nothing to do with supernatural forces. It amazed him that such a thing could exist and he couldn't help but be a bit jealous of the fact that there were others who could do it while he was stuck being 'ordinary'.

Alex had managed to head to the refreshment table, finally managing to get if only a few brief moments to himself. The ponies had been very curious, and somewhat wary of him, but their friendly disposition seemed to override any potential fear they had of him. Alex felt himself more afraid of them, even if he was taller than anyone else here, for they had numbers on their side. Still, it allowed him to relax considering the fact that they weren't freaking out about his appearance and their curiosity was without malevolent intent. Picking up a drink, he took a sip and tasted the refreshment of apples. It clearly wasn't juice though… "Cider?"

"Eeyup!" Alex jumped slightly turning to see Applejack having joined him, taking a cup for herself. "Freshly made Apple Cider for the party." She took a hardy drink from her own cup, draining half of it easily. "You like it?"

"It's very good," he said, relaxing again and taking another drink. "You really take the apple thing seriously around here, huh?"

"Well, we do grow more than just apples 'round these parts. But they are the symbol of the Apple Family and a big tradition ever since Granny first came to help found Ponyville. We definitely take pride in them. If you're lucky, you can stick around for Zap Apple season." Applejack drained her cup and tossed it into a nearby trash bin. "So, how you liking the party so far? Pinkie sure knows how to throw a good bash."

"I must admit, I'm having more fun than I thought I would," Alex remarked. True, he wasn't much of a social person, but he did enjoy a good party. And he was enjoying himself, even if he wasn't going crazy with the dancing and games, as much as he could enjoy himself given his situation. "Though everyone seems to be more interested in asking me questions than anything."

"Well that's no fun," Pinkie said popping out of the punch bowl to Alex and Applejack's surprise.

"Gah! Where did you come from?"

"It's not a party without some dancing! And you look like you need a dance partner!" With that she grabbed Alex by the hand and dragged him to dance, despite his protests. Applejack blinked a few times before shrugging. It was Pinkie Pie, she had learned not to question such matters.

"Should you really be getting all chummy with this guy," Applejack heard, and looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering just above her, watching Alex try and keep up with Pinkie's dance moves. "I mean, how do we even know we can trust him? He could be trying to trick us."

"You really need to give that a rest Rainbow," the farm pony said holding up a cup of cider for her. The Pegasus took it, but continued to watch the human. "Why would he try to trick us?"

"Hey, you never know. We just finished beating up that Tirek guy and sending him packing. Then Twilight gets called to that weird human world again and now a human shows up in Equestria? You can't tell me that's not suspicious."

"Now I won't lie, that is quite the coincidence. But maybe that's all it is. 'Sides, Twi and all of us already promised to help him. He just wants to go home, what could be wrong with that?"

"Yeah, home to all his human friends and tell them about us so they can take over Equestria," Rainbow muttered, taking a drink.

"You know, I think you've been reading one too many of them 'Daring Do' books RD." Applejack noticed Alex heading back to them, a small smile on his face clearly stating that he had enjoyed his dancing with Pinkie. On his head was, surprisingly, a jester's hat. "See? Fun times, right?"

"Yeah," he said, his tone of voice a bit lighter. "Pinkie is… well, she's crazy, but in a good way."

"Oh, I'm glad you're enjoying everything," came a voice from behind and Alex turned to see Fluttershy holding a tray filled with sweets from cupcakes to fruit tarts. "You looked like you might be hungry so I got you some of these. That is, if you want them. Oh maybe I should have gotten some more variety…"

"It's ok, Fluttershy. And thanks," Alex said, taking a tart and devouring it. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until she mentioned it. Aside from Applejack's gift of pie and a few small treats here and there between questions, Alex realized that he hadn't eaten for some time. As he eased into the atmosphere of this place, the barn doors opened once more and several mutterings could be heard from the other guests. Alex turned and was surprised by what he saw.

A very tall, white Alicorn walked into the party, looking very regal simply by standing there. Alex wasn't a short person by any means, but he guessed that the Alicorn had been about as tall as he was. Her mane was a multitude of colors and seemed to flow constantly as if caught in the wind. Her marking was that of the sun, and it was in this he noticed he was in the presence of Princess Celestia. As she walked through the crowds, the ponies eagerly seemed to make a path for her, bowing along the way. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy also bowed as she approached, so Alex gave a short one as well, keeping a close eye on her.

"Now, now, rise my little ponies. No need to be so formal here," she said, waving her wing. She gazed to Alex and said, "So, you must be the human that Twilight mentioned in her letter."

"Twilight wrote a letter about me," Alex asked confused. She certainly didn't mention anything of the sort.

"Yes, though I'm afraid she couldn't give me many details about you or your situation." Given what she said, Alex guessed that Twilight must have sent the letter before they spoke. "If you wouldn't terribly mind, perhaps we could speak in private. Normally I would have invited you to the castle, but I feel that this matter is most urgent."

"Um, yeah, sure. I'll see you guys later then?" After an affirmative from them, Celestia led Alex out of the barn though a side door. The sound of the music echoed out into the night, but became muffled once more when the door was closed. Alex removed his jester hat. "So, Princess Celestia was it? What exactly do you want to talk to me about?"

"I need to know exactly how you got into this world," she said with all seriousness. "Every detail you can remember before you awoke in Twilight's castle."

"I'm… not sure if that is a good idea, Princess," Alex said, remembering the man from before. "Why not ask Twilight? I've already filled her in on all the important details."

"Perhaps, but something tells me that you didn't share everything with her," Celestia said. Alex looked at her in shock, before she continued, "When you have lived as long as I have, you notice certain things about others and their behavior. While I may understand that there might be a good reason you have to keep whatever knowledge hidden, it's important that I know all the facts in order to help you return home."

Alex crossed his arms across his chest, looking down. "You'd really help me? You don't know anything about me. Heck, even Twilight and her friends barely know anything about me. Why are you so insistent on this?"

Celestia closed her eyes for a brief moment. When she opened them again, she held a look that made her seem to be gazing faraway, as if remembering some long forgotten event. "I'm sure you have heard of me. From both my subjects and my personal student, Twilight." Alex nodded. "I have always done my best for my ponies, to ensure they would live in peace. I am not perfect, and would never claim to be no matter how much praise they give me. I have made mistakes before. Yes, I have no reason to help you. Nopony here does. But neither have we reason to harm you or to stop you from doing anything. I understand if you feel you cannot trust us, but my offer is sincere."

Alex gave a deep sigh, looking up into the sky. Indeed he had accepted their offers of help, but he truly wasn't sure if he could trust them or not. They were still as alien to him as he was to them. Though they seemed to want to give him the benefit of the doubt for whatever reason, save perhaps Rainbow Dash. Well, he couldn't blame her completely, but she could have been a lot more subtle and tactful about it. "Fine. I'll tell you everything. Though you might not believe it…"

The Princess had a look on her face that screamed 'Try me'. And so he did.

He told her of the day he was heading to his home, and how a mysterious voice spoke to him before he was whisked out of his world. Of waking up in the white room, and meeting the person who had saved him. He told her everything he could remember about their conversation, including the mysterious man's intentions to make him 'entertain' him. Of the impossible feats he seemed able to do on a whim and finally him sending him here. Of how he was told he was found near the Everfree Forest, only to wake up in Twilight's castle.

At the end of his tale, Celestia closed her eyes in thought, taking in everything. "This person you mentioned, his power sounds very familiar to another being I know." Alex was shocked to hear something like that. "While their methods are indeed different, the power might stem from the same source. I will have to ask him about it myself." Though Celestia did not show it, she was deeply disturbed. This power sounded much too close to the Chaos Magic that Discord, the Spirit of Disharmony and self-proclaimed God of Chaos, used. While displacing something from one world to another seemed like the sort of thing Discord would do if only to stir up trouble, the means Alex described sounded nothing like Discord at all. Though Discord loved Chaos, threats were not his style, at least, not ones involving bodily harm.

"Aside from that though, there may be a way to bring you back to your own world."

"Really," Alex said surprised and grateful. To think he would manage to be free, and so soon. _Show's him what's what,_ he thought.

"It will not be easy though. The magic is very old, and if the spell I am thinking of is the same one, then it's quite complicated as well. I'll need some time to search the castle library to find it, in between my duties as the ruler of Equestria. I'm not sure I will have the time to learn it though, so I'll send it to Twilight as soon as I am able. Of course, learning the spell will only solve half of the problem."

"What do you mean," Alex asked, trying not to lose hope.

"While the spell would allow you to enter another world, there is no guarantee that it will take you back to your own world. We would have to figure out that part on our own." Celestia frowned. "I'm sorry it's not the perfect solution, but it's the best we can do for now."

Alex took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Well, I suppose that something is better than nothing in this case." He bowed to her once more. "Thank you, so much. I doubt I could ever repay this debt to you."

"Of course. Besides, you may just like living here in Equestria. I'm sure you will find plenty to do while you wait," she said cheerfully. When Alex didn't respond to this Celestia nodded to the door. "Perhaps we should head back inside. It is a party and I'm sure you-."

The door flew open with a loud 'BANG' causing Alex to jump. From the other side, Twilight came rushing out levitating a book and inkpot and a quill, looking for all the world that she was late to some sort of test or meeting. "Princess! I'm so sorry I didn't notice you come in! I was too distracted by-."

"Be calm, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said, interrupting her loyal student's ranting. Twilight immediately went to attention, ready to jot down anything she was about to say. "I was merely familiarizing myself with our new guest." Celestia held her wing out, as if presenting the human before her. "I will wish to discuss something with you about being able to send him home. But for now, I do believe there is a party we should attend to."

"Um, yes! Of course Princess," Twilight said, nervously chuckling as she set aside the writing tools.

"By the way, where did those even come from," Alex asked. "I didn't see you or Spike take them from the castle."

"Oh, well, you know… they were just around…"

"Just around huh?" Alex could only shake his head while laughing. Celestia too merely gave a slight giggle that she tried hiding behind her wing. _Guess every one of these ponies has their eccentricities._

"I-it's not funny! Besides, being prepared is-." But Alex was no longer paying attention to her trying to defend herself. For some reason, he felt like he could enjoy this party a lot more.

* * *

Spike watched as Alex and Princess Celestia briefly left the party. He was munching on some 'Rock Candy' that Pinkie had specifically made for him for the party. He had to wonder what the Princess could want with the human, but he had a fairly good guess. "Oh! Spike, there you are." His body stiffened as she turned around at the (in his mind) angelic voice that spoke to him. Rarity came trotting up to him, one of her designer bags hung over her shoulder.

"H-hi Rarity. Great party huh?"

"Oh yes, I daresay Pinkie keeps outdoing herself every time. I was hoping to be here sooner, but my ideas simply got the best of me. Though I do believe I am on the cusp of being 'fashionably late'," she said.

"It's ok! You're here now, so that's all that matters," he said, before quickly speeding off and returning a few seconds later with a fruit tart in his claw. "Um, do you want some party food?"

"Oh thank you dearie," she said, levitating the tart from his claw with magic and taking a modest bite of the pastry. "Such a gentlecolt," she said, patting his head and causing him to stare at the ground with a blush on his face. "By the way, have you seen our new human friend? I brought some of the designs I wanted to try and get his opinion on them."

"Alex? Last I saw he was heading to talk with Princess Celestia about something," Spike mentioned.

"WHAT!?" A sharp cry rang out just barely more audible than the music as Twilight flew towards Spike and held him up. "Princess Celestia is here!? When did she arrive? Oh no, I wasn't able to greet her! What if she thinks I'm being too rude? What if she thinks I'm not showing enough maturity to be a Princess!? "What if-!?"

"Twilight," Spike shouted to get her attention before she could send herself into a spiraling depression of 'What if' questions of self-examination. "I saw them go out that door," he said, pointing to the exit Alex and Celestia used to have their talk.

"Thanks Spike," Twilight said, dropping him before rushing off. Fluttershy came forwards and helped Spike to his feet.

"Are you ok Spike?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. No different from any other time Twilight gets into her moods," he said, brushing off dust from his scales.

"Oh, um… that's good," Fluttershy said before turning to Rarity. "I was hoping you'd make it in time Rarity. Are enjoying the party?"

"Oh yes, it looks absolutely wonderful darling," the elegant Unicorn said. "I wonder if I could meet a nice stallion to invite me to dance." Spike froze at hearing this, but his distress was ignored as Alex came back in with a somewhat irate Twilight and amused Celestia. "Oh Alex, wonderful timing." Rarity focused her magic to bring forth the sketches from her bag, floating them over to him. "I wanted to get your opinion on a few of these."

Alex took them from the air, a bit in awe at the magic, before looking through them. He looked rather impressed at the variety of outfits she had come up with, though he wondered if such intricate designs were really his taste. "These look good for a start. I'm surprised you managed to come up with so many already."

"Well when the creative spark hits, you must answer the call."

"There you are!" Alex jumped a bit seeing Pinkie again.

"Please, warn me next time you do that," he said. _This cannot be good for my heart…_

"Oops! Sorry, but I didn't want you to miss out on musical chairs!" Alex was dragged off once more, though this time Fluttershy and Applejack had accompanied him. Alex didn't seem to mind this time though, smiling at the thought of playing a few games.

"Ah Princess, I dare say you are going to stay for the festivities as well," Rarity asked Celestia, giving a small bow.

"As much as I would like to, I should get back to the castle. A ruler does need some rest. Perhaps another time when my duties will allow me. If you will excuse me." Celestia focused her magic and teleported out of the room.

"Shame she couldn't stay longer," Spike said, munching on more candy and trying to distract himself.

The impromptu visit from Celestia aside, the party was a complete success. Several of the ponies got a chance to socialize and get familiar with a human in their midst, and Alex was able to generally enjoy himself and escape his worries. Around midnight the party was winding down, with only the most serious of partygoers still dancing and enjoying the variety of baked treats Pinkie had provided for the guests. Alex, Twilight, and Spike had already left back to the castle, after the human promised Rarity that he would visit her shop in the afternoon to try a few outfits on.

Once escorted back to his room, Alex simply flopped onto his bed, too tired to try and get under the covers. He closed his eyes and within minutes, was out like a light.

* * *

 _Alex's eyes opened and terror seized his heart when he saw a white ceiling above him. He quickly stood, unheeding of his own state as he franticly searched for the man who he was certain had brought him here. The room looked plain and bare like the first time he had seen it, but he was instantly drawn to something that was laying on the ground not too far from him. A body, a pony, laying facing away from him and surrounded by a pool of blood._

 _Recognizing the mark, he could tell this was Princess Celestia._

 _He brought his hand to his mouth, covering it in hopes of not throwing up at seeing her dead body on the ground. The pool of blood was quickly spreading out and Alex involuntarily took a few steps back to avoid stepping in it. He couldn't tell why she was here, but he had a sickening suspicion._

" _Now, now, see what you've gone and made me do?" Alex turned around, ready to shout and let his anger out at the one who spoke, but his words were caught in his throat and his face paled. That familiar person was there, wearing the same outfit as before. But dripping from his gloved hands was blood, as they were held out by his sides. He had an unsettling grin on his face as though he were seeing a completely different sight then the one just behind Alex._

" _I mean, I dislike getting my hands dirty, but it's not like I won't do it if I must." The man walked forwards, and Alex stepped back with each step. He stopped only when he felt blood on his shoe, turning quickly to see it before facing the man again. "Such a troublesome toy I have."_

" _You… you…" but Alex could not find the words to express what he wanted to say._

" _Me? Oh no, you were the one who decided to open your mouth without thinking of the consequences. So, even though it has come to this… it's not my fault." His grin seemed to only become more sinister as he spoke, still walking towards him. There was a glint of madness in his eyes, as Alex once more felt himself unable to move. But this was brought on not by whatever power this man had, but by sheer terror._

 _The room grew dark, taking with it light and warmth. The man held up his hand, blood still dripping down. His features started to become shrouded in shadows. "Now then, my little toy…"_

 _Suddenly all the light vanished leaving only pitch blackness. And yet, even within this, he could clearly see a looming pair of red eyes and a grin filled with sharp teeth that looked more likely to belong to some feral beast than a person._

" _ **Let'S PLaY!"**_

Alex woke with a startled shout, sitting up and bringing his hand to his chest to calm his heart, which was beating rapidly out of control. He looked around wildly, not recognizing the room he was in, which only further served to fuel his panic. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he slowly recognized this as the spare room in Twilight's castle. He let himself fall back down on the mattress, trying to draw breath as he was close to hyperventilating.

"Just a dream. Just a dream," he spoke to himself, but it had felt far too real. He couldn't close his eyes, afraid he would be brought back into that grizzly scene again. He had to keep muttering to himself that what he saw was only a dream, and that he was safe, that Celestia was safe, that this was reality.

 _But that was also a possible reality._ He couldn't stop the thought from forming and he wondered if it was even entirely his own. But he couldn't deny or dismiss that statement either because it was very true. The party earlier had seemed like a lie. Just mere hours ago he was laughing, even finding some kind of brightness in this situation. Now, he could only cling to the hope that he could somehow managed to trust that Celestia and Twilight would be able to get him home.

He felt a wetness on his cheeks, and he reached his hand up to wipe away tears. _Damn it, get a grip,_ he thought to himself, rubbing the tears out of his eyes. _You are stronger than this!_ But he couldn't stop them. The stress, the despair, everything he had been trying to distract himself from since waking up in this world rushed back into his being all at once.

In the darkness of night, he finally allowed himself to break down.

* * *

 _Chapter 2 End!_

 _Ups and downs, highs and lows... It all comes together as Alex unravels. But broken things can be restored and even be built tougher than before. Will Alex overcome and learn to find the light in such a dark situation? And is the method of him being able to return home really as easy as it seems?_

 _Find out next time, on DRAGON...BAL- *SHOT*!_

 _...I'm ok!_


	4. Average Abnormal Days

_First of all, thanks to **Mallory** and **chipmunkfanantic** for the Favs. I'm so moved that more and more people are giving this a chance.  
_

 _Second of all... OMG I'M SORRY FOR THE DELAY *Bows head in shame* Not sure why I felt so... meh about writing this chapter. Maybe cause there's not a lot of action in it. While this delay would normally only be cleansed by committing seppuku, doing so would leave this story unfinished and disappoint many of you. Which I'm pretty sure disappointing so many of you is grounds for death via Mexican Firing Squad. So I'll finish the story first._

 _ **chipmunkfanantic** : Thanks for the encouragement! I'll keep working on this. As for Creepypastas... Well, I wasn't planning on doing any. And I'd need to research more about them as I've never written a creepypasta before. I won't make any promises, as I don't know what my schedule will be like around that time. I will say this though: I will be exploring a somewhat darker aspect of a certain character sometime in a future chapter of this story. _

_Which one? Aha, that would be telling..._

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 3: Average Abnormal Days**_

* * *

The city of Canterlot was rather large and could be considered a place that could make or break a pony if one wasn't careful. Many high society types lived in the inner city, some even coming from long family trees that traced their roots back to nobility. It was to be expected from people who lived in the capital city of Equestria and the location of Canterlot Castle, the home of the Princesses of the Sun and Moon.

In past days, it was once home to only one Princess, Celestia, as over a thousand years ago her sister Luna had succumbed to a dark rage that twisted and poisoned her thoughts, transforming her into the mythical creature in modern days known as Nightmare Moon. Her powers had grown dark and had eclipsed Celestia's own, forcing her to use her final trump card, six artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony. The Elements had a connection to both sisters, and though Celestia was powerful in her own right, without her sister helping her the full power of the Elements was locked to her. Thus, while she could not purge the darkness from her sister's heart, she was able to seal her away in the moon itself, until such time when the Elements would recognize new owners who could unlock their full potential once more.

Thankfully, her most faithful student Twilight and her friends had rid the evils that lurked within Luna as the newly appointed Bearers of the Elements, freeing her from the chains of hatred. Now, Luna was able to govern Canterlot during the night, which eased the burden on Celestia's shoulders quite a bit and allowed her to get some proper sleep during the night.

This particular night, Celestia was flying over the castle, having just returned from a late night visit to Twilight in order to confirm suspicious activities within Ponyville. As it was, she had much to tell her sister that she felt could not wait until morning. Landing on the balcony which led to Luna's room, Celestia opened the doors and stepped in to find her sister in deep thought.

Luna possessed many talents aside from controlling the moon and stars. Her other specialty as Princess of the Night revolved around dreams. The Dreamscape was the entirety of every pony's dreams in Equestria, and her role was to encourage good dreams while chasing away the nightmares. Of course, not every nightmare could be dispelled easily. Some were persistent and others were too powerful for her to approach them on her own. In those cases, she helped guide the ponies within the dream to confront and dispel their nightmares, usually born of deep fears. After all, the only beings more powerful than her within dreams were the ones who dreamed them.

Perhaps as if sensing her sister's approach, Luna opened her eyes. Said princess had a dark blue and black coat, with a mane that resembled the night sky, complete with starlight. It too flowed as if caught in endless wind as her sister's did, a sign of the incredible Alicorn magic within her. Her mark was that of the crescent moon and she stood just a few heads short of her sister, but far larger than the average pony. "Greetings Tia," she said standing. "How was your late night stroll?"

"Fine, Lu," she said. Only in the privacy of their chambers did they ever refer to each other so informally. Outside of them, they had an image to maintain to their subjects. "I was able to meet him," Celestia continued.

"And?"

"I do not believe we have anything to fear from him," Celestia said in reassurance. "If what his testimony says is true, then something else is going on and he was unfortunately caught in the middle of it." Celestia then proceeded to explain what had happened, including everything that she and the human Alex had spoken of. "What about you?"

"Unfortunately, it still eludes me," Luna said sadly. Upon Alex's appearance in the world of Equestria, Luna had immediately sensed his foreign presence in the Dreamscape and attempted to make contact with it. When she had tried though, she had found a powerful barrier that kept her from entering his dreams, whatever they might have been. At first, she wondered what kind of power this new presence, which she later found out was a human from Twilight's letter, had that was capable of stopping her. Now that this new evidence had come to light…

"The barrier could be broken, but the problem is We may end up doing more harm than good in trying to do so," Luna continued. "If what thou telling me is true, that some other thing is behind this, then who or whatever that is certainly left nothing to chance." Luna frowned, thinking about it more. "To be honest, Tia, I'm more worried that they seemed to know we would try to do something about this and had the foresight to prevent it. The shield on his mind is so tightly woven in I fear doing permanent damage should I try to…"

"It's ok Lu," Celestia said, putting a comforting wing around her sister. It wasn't often that something could manage to undermine their efforts, but they were not perfect. "For now, we should abandon that avenue. Let us focus on what we can do rather than what we can't."

Luna nodded, gazing at her sister before giving her a more consoling look. "What is wrong, Tia? We sense you are more concerned with another matter."

Celestia only chuckled in response. "You do know me so well. I am worried about what this being who brought the human to our world is capable of. From what I heard, his power seemed to be able to rival that of Discord. It may even come from the same source of power."

"Then, this other is also a being of Chaos," Luna asked surprised.

"Unfortunately, I don't know enough to say for certain. Which is why, aside from helping the human to go home back to his original world, I will need to speak to Discord about this and see if he can help us. Perhaps he might even know why this is happening."

"Are you sure that is wise, Tia? You know as well as I that Discord cares not for most matters in Equestria, aside from perhaps anything involving the Bearer of Kindness."

"I have to try Lu," Celestia said, sighing in frustration. Discord wasn't the most agreeable being, preferring to clown around and undermine authority whenever possible. Even if he had now been reformed and was considered more 'tame' then when he used to be, the Lord of Chaos rarely listened to anyone who tried to tell him what to do, save for perhaps Fluttershy. And even then he liked to try and push to see how much he could get away with.

"In that case, Tia, thou should have a most restful night. We will awake you when it's time to raise the sun," Luna said.

"Thank you," Celestia said, leaving the room through the door. The Night Guard who was watching over the doors, gave no surprise at the fact that Celestia was leaving when they didn't see her enter. They were far too used to this scene to give any thought of it. The Sun Princess headed to her chambers, hoping for a peaceful night's sleep.

Approaching her bed, she allowed herself rest and dream of the bright morning ahead.

* * *

Alex opened his eyes and groaned, closing them and rubbing his hands over them to try and ease himself back to consciousness. He had no idea when he had managed to get back to sleep after his breakdown the night before, but it had not be a restful one. Despite his tiredness, he was calmer now than he had been before. Perhaps the release of his emotions and frustrations the night before had done him more good than he realized.

Resolving himself to get up now that he was awake, he stepped out from his room and started to make his way through the castle. He was unsure of where he was going, but a few minutes in and he stumbled onto the kitchen, where Spike was already setting up to prepare breakfast. "Good morning Twi-, oh! It's you Alex. I thought you'd be sleeping more. You look pretty bad, did you not get enough sleep," he asked, a bit worried by the human's appearance.

"Maybe," he said tiredly, not wanting to divulge his dream. "Is there a bathroom around here? I should clean up."

"Um, yeah, down the hall there," Spike said pointing to the hallway opposite the one Alex came through. "It should be the first door on the right."

"Thanks," he said, walking that way and entering the room. Looking at himself in the mirror, he could see why Spike had sounded so concerned. His hair was a mess and his eyes were slightly bloodshot. There were streaks on his cheeks where the tears had fallen. He quickly did his business there, washing his face and preparing himself to face the day. When he made it back to the kitchen, he saw Spike was already starting to flip some pancakes. "Anything I could do to help?"

"Nah, it's okay. Besides, you're a guest here," the young dragon said, adding another pancake to the finished stack. "Twilight would say it's rude to make you do stuff."

"Maybe, but you are letting me stay without me paying some kind of rent. At least let me do this. I'd feel better if I could make myself a bit useful around here." He walked up to the counter and began looking through the cabinets to see what kinds of tools and food they had. _Most of the residents here are ponies, so I can't expect to find much meat… ah, here we go._ Finding a few potatoes, he began to prepare them.

Spike watched him, somewhat fascinated at the practiced movements that showed he clearly knew what he was doing. He knew that there were several similarities between foods here and in the human world, but he had never seen humans cook before. "You're pretty good at this. Do you cook a lot?"

"Hm? Well, I wouldn't say a lot. And nothing too complicated either. But I was living on my own for a bit before I came here, so I'm used to it." Spike then proceeded to ask questions about what it was like living by himself, since for all his life he always had a guardian watching over him. Alex answered as best he could, and when the two finished cooking, Twilight walked in ready to start the day, three books floating behind her.

"Good morning! Oh Alex, you're here. I thought I would have had to show you where the kitchen was, but I'm glad you found it just fine." Twilight took a deep breath, savoring the smell of breakfast. "Smells great as usual Spike. You really outdid yourself this time. Pancakes and hash browns?"

"Ah, well, I just made the pancakes. Alex worked on the other stuff."

"Oh? You didn't have to do that. You are a guest here," Twilight said, setting the books down on the nearby table and opening up one.

"Well, just consider it a small thank you for letting me stay here," Alex said taking his own seat. Or at least, he was trying to, but the chair wasn't made for someone of his size and body shape.

"Oh! Hang on, I got this," Spike said, running out of the room and returning a minute later with several large cushions. "Try these." Alex graciously took them, and once comfortable, they all began to enjoy the meal.

Twilight began to talk about the various sights and places of interest around Ponyville, recommending Alex visit some of these places and hopefully get to know more ponies around town. Alex was half-listening, as he tried to think of a way to kill time until his later meeting with Rarity. Of course, he considered going out to meet these ponies that he had glimpsed at his welcoming party, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to face anyone new so soon. Suddenly an idea came to him.

"Hey Twilight," he asked, cutting her ranting short, "where exactly does Fluttershy live again?"

* * *

Alex softly hummed to himself as he made his way down the path that would lead to Fluttershy's cottage. He had been surprised to learn that she had lived so close to the Everfree Forest, considering how Twilight said most ponies wouldn't dare to go anywhere near it without a good reason. He had to suppose that she was either much braver than he originally thought, or the forest wasn't nearly as dangerous as rumors made it out to be.

As he got closer to his destination, he could begin to see all manner of forest animals surrounding the cottage, a few running up to greet him without hesitation or fear. He had to wonder if this too was part of Fluttershy's abilities and a relation to her Cutie Mark. They watched him with interest, but Alex had the feeling they would attack him if he showed any hostility. Crossing a bridge, he made his way to the only home around for quite a distance and knocked, waiting patiently.

The door opened, and to his surprise, what awaited him was not the shy Pegasus but a white rabbit that looked rather annoyed, as if Alex had somehow interrupted the creature from doing something important. Not sure how to respond to this, Alex said, "Um, hi? I'm looking for Fluttershy, is she here?" The rabbit only glared at him before slamming the door in his face (an impressive feat, he later realized) leaving the human stunned. _Did I just get rejected by a rabbit?_

Fortunately he didn't have to ponder it for long. The door opened up again, this time with Fluttershy behind it. "Now, now Angel, what did Mommy say about treating guests? Oh, hello Alex. How are you today?"

"I'm good Fluttershy. But I wanted to ask you a question. Can you take me to where you found me the other day?" Fluttershy looked surprised by that. "Something wrong?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. It's just… it's really close to the forest so I'm a bit worried something might come out at us…"

"I see," he said, clearly concerned. He wanted a chance to see the place for himself, but he certainly didn't want to cause any discomfort among the ones who were helping him. Keeping things civil between them was important in making sure nothing would come back to bite him later. "Well, then if you can just point me in the right direction, I'll go there myself."

"Wait," she said slightly panicked, though it was hard to tell as she still spoke rather softly. "You can't go there by yourself, it's dangerous." She looked nervous, as if trying to convince herself of something. "Um, well, I guess if we stick together it won't be too bad… maybe we should find Rainbow Dash. Just to be safe."

"Well, I do have an appointment with Rarity later. I'm not even sure where Rainbow Dash lives, and I'd really rather not waste all morning trying to find her." _Plus I'm pretty sure she would mind about this…_ He smiled, trying to wave her off. "Really, I'll be okay on my own."

"No, I can't let you do that," she said, sounding more firm and in control. "Especially since I think you should still be resting. If you go, then I go with you." She then reverted quickly back to her shy self. "Um, if that's okay with you."

"Alright, I suppose I can't dissuade you. Lead the way." Fluttershy did so, heading towards where she had found him. Along the way, she explained that the reason she had even gone so close in the first place that day was to find a particular plant to help heal one of her sick birds. "You really do a lot for them, don't you?"

"Oh yes. I've always loved my animal friends. When I was younger, Rainbow Dash was my only friend. She was always so brave and I… well, wasn't so much." She gave an encouraging smile. "But when I came to Ponyville and made new friends with Twilight and the others well… I learned a lot about being brave. And the different kind of bravery I have compared to others."

"I see… you know, my dad told me once that being brave isn't about having no fear. Instead, it's about having fear, and learning to act in spite of it." He took a deep breath. "When I first woke up here, I was definitely afraid… afraid of everyone and afraid that I wouldn't be able to go home. I still am, a little, but I've decided to try and make the best of it for now."

"I'm glad," Fluttershy said smiling. She surprised herself by how easily she seemed to be talking with the human. She had been worried about him, certainly, but she had also been very wary of him as she had never seen something like Alex before. Her reaction to new and strange things in her life had always left the Pegasus more than a little cautious about things. But Alex seemed easy to strike a conversation with, though she wasn't sure why.

"Right there," Fluttershy said as they came to a stop. The forest was still a good few yards away, but he could easily make out where she was pointing. As Alex began to walk up to the place he had been dropped off at, he couldn't help but feel something off about being here. He wasn't sure, but he felt as though something in the forest itself was calling out to him. "-ex! Alex!"

Alex was startled to hear Fluttershy calling out to him. It was then that he noticed that he had been walking towards the forest without her. He was confused, because he couldn't even remember having moved. Turning back to face her, he was surprised by how scared she looked. "Alex, don't go running off like that! We really shouldn't get too close."

"Ah, sorry… I'm not sure what came over me." He turned back towards the forest. Again he could feel its strange magnetic pull it seemed to have on him, but he ignored it this time and walked back to Fluttershy. "Sorry about that. Thanks for coming with me. I guess I shouldn't go inside right now," he said. "Sorry to make you come all this way though."

"Oh it's fine. Just, maybe next time you could be more careful… please?" Alex merely chuckled. The stark contrast between her trying to act stern and the way she seemed to quickly revert back to being meek was endearing to him.

"Alright. Let's head back then." Alex took one quick look back at the forest before following Fluttershy back to her cottage. Something about it was definitely not sitting well with him, but he couldn't quite place why. Since he knew that he couldn't do anything about it just yet, he resolved to put it out of his mind for the time being.

Fluttershy offered tea and finger sandwiches (which the shy Pegasus recalled when he explained he couldn't eat daisies), so Alex decided to relax until the appointed meeting time with Rarity. Throughout the visit though, the rabbit, who Fluttershy said his name was Angel Bunny, had given him multiple glares. He wasn't sure why the rabbit felt it necessary to do so, considering he had done nothing to upset him. Well, at the very least he couldn't remember doing anything to upset him.

Alex figured he would be getting along with him as well as he did with Rainbow Dash.

Sometime after lunch, which he politely declined from Fluttershy insisting that he had imposed enough, Alex made his way back into Ponyville proper and began looking for Rarity's boutique. He remembered seeing it on the way to his welcoming party, and was glad to realize he found it easily enough. Knocking on the door, he was surprised to find someone other than Rarity answer it. "Spike? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hey Alex," the young dragon said, opening the door fully to let him inside. "I had some free time this afternoon so I came by to see if Rarity needed any help with something." Alex simply raised an eyebrow and walked in. "W-what," the dragon asked nervously.

"Nothing," Alex said. It seemed rather innocent to think that this dragon had a crush. Granted, he had a few himself when he was younger. "So, does Rarity know that you lik- hmph!" He was surprised by how quickly the dragon was able to cover his mouth.

Spike gave a quick 'shush' sound, turning to the back room in hopes that Rarity didn't hear. "Look, it's… kind of complicated. We're friends, and we do like each other… but, I mean, you see…" But Alex did understand. Spike clearly liked Rarity as more than a friend, but from the way he acted, he had no idea of her true feelings for him.

Spike had always considered himself lucky just for being Rarity's friend, even if in the beginning it was only through proxy from her being friends with his surrogate mother figure Twilight. Though the many dynamics between them shifted over time, that one solid fact was something he could rely on whenever he felt the pangs of unrequited love stir in his heart. Moreover, Spike knew that there was definitely some risk in properly asking Rarity about her feelings. He would always love her, even if she never loved him back. And he would always consider her own happiness first, even if it meant watching her date and eventually marry somepony else. But Spike knew that love was something that could change everything between them. Even if she didn't love him back, it would forever change the way she looked at him, perhaps even question their friendship entirely.

So long as he stayed silent, the status quo would remain.

Of course, Spike didn't actually say any of this to Alex, instead rambling on about this and that and generally making excuses. Alex pulled the claw covering his mouth away, "Okay, okay I get it. No mentioning it to Rarity, got it." The two went to the back room where Rarity was standing before a mannequin looking over some clothing. Many of them were scattered around the room, though most of them were shaped like ponies. The one Rarity was standing before however, was human shaped.

"Oh wonderful, so glad you made it Darling," Rarity said. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique and magnifique!" Alex nodded, impressed by the admittedly catchy sounding line. Apparently Rarity had some knack for business, looking around. "Come, come, we must simply try these outfits on at once!" Rarity used her magic to lift an outfit towards him, before pushing him behind a screen where he could have some privacy to change.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, but wanting to get this over with quickly, Alex undressed and put on the first outfit. It was extremely casual, a simple shirt and pants that would be perfect on clear days to simply 'hang around' as it were. He stepped out and rotated his body so that the fashionista would be able to see it from every angle. Rarity levitated a measuring tape, and began to take measurements and notes. The sleeves of the shirt were longer than she would have liked and the pants were slightly too short, but she was glad it was mostly superficial things that wouldn't take too much time to sort out. She had simply gone off his general body size and without proper measurements she wouldn't be able to make too many things. Still, she was glad she managed to get it close on the first try.

The second outfit she had him try was formal wear. Alex was surprised by how well this one fit. A suit and jacket with slacks, he looked ready to head to some formal party or wedding. The jacket had a pocket in front, but he was surprised to see that instead of a traditional button was a small ruby that held the flap closed. He wasn't too much for fashion, but he had to admit the minor touch there had added to the aura of elegance of an already smart-looking outfit. Rarity herself claimed that the mini-gems as buttons would be a big hit at the next fashion show she was hoping to attend in the coming months.

The final one she had ready was a button down shirt, again with mini gems as buttons, this time sapphires. A few more gems, mostly diamonds, had been sown into the collar of the shirt and around the hem. While Alex didn't mind the gems as buttons, he felt the extras were a bit too much for this one. He was never that fond of things like jewelry, and he let her know that the outfit felt a little too gaudy for his taste. Spike looked like he wanted to say something against that, but Rarity merely said 'Well, the customer is always right,' before taking the outfit back to remove the excess gems and make a few more adjustments.

After many pleasantries and thanks, Rarity offered Alex to stay and give some opinions on some of her other works she had for her usual clients. Alex hesitated, stating that he didn't really have too much of an eye for fashion, but Rarity insisted, stating that even an amateur's opinion could be very useful. In the end, Alex stayed watching her make a dress to give his input on. Throughout it, he noticed Spike helping her by gathering materials as she needed them, clearing away the excess items and generally helping to speed up the creation process.

Alex excused himself, claiming to want to explore more of Ponyville before the day was over, and Rarity promised him to have Spike deliver the outfits to his room at the castle. As Alex walked the streets, he noticed several ponies who had been at the party last night. Some simply waved at him, others came to talk, though many of them were running stands and finishing up work as the sun was starting to set.

One mare, who called herself Golden Harvest, offered him some carrots as a 'welcoming gift'. He took them graciously, promising to repay her for the kindness. Another, introducing herself as Octavia, asked him about his musical preferences, declaring her own fondness for classical music. Alex explained his own preferences of Alternative music and his liking of musical numbers with strong drumming.

After returning to Twilight's castle, the carrots he received were used in a simple salad for dinner. Retiring to his room, he noticed that his wardrobe was open and the three outfits he had modeled for Rarity were neatly hung up. Next to them was the sword. Alex couldn't recall ever putting it there, but he found himself too tired to care. He slipped into bed, hoping to catch up on much needed sleep.

The next morning was much easier on Alex. His sleep was uninterrupted, with no dreams as far as he could recall. Now feeling properly rested, he once again joined Twilight and Spike for breakfast. When asked about what he planned to do for the day, he mentioned going to visit Applejack.

Walking the familiar path to Sweet Apple Acres early in the morning, Alex thought about asking Applejack for a job working on the farm. He had never done farm work before, but he wasn't opposed to some manual labor in order to help pay everyone back for everything they were doing. When he made it there, he already saw Applejack bucking at some trees, knocking apples down into buckets with strong kicks. Surprisingly though, she wasn't alone and was with, of all ponies, Rainbow Dash.

"Well howdy there Alex," Applejack said welcoming him. Rainbow merely gave him a dismissive look, before lifting up one of the buckets and placing it on a nearby cart. "What brings you here so early?"

"Good morning Applejack," he said, not bothering to give Rainbow Dash a welcome. If she wasn't going to act civil, then he would simply ignore her. "I wanted to know if you needed some help this morning."

"That's a mighty fine offer for you to make, but I got a helper already," she said, pointing to Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus merely mumbled something under her breath.

"Why exactly is she helping? I really don't think she's the type to just do this for no reason." More grumbling sounds.

"Normally you'd be right, but ol' RD here lost a bet with me yesterday so I get her help on the farm for a few hours," she said. She bucked another tree watching as more apples fell down. "Bit off a bit more than she could chew," Applejack continued.

"We both know I would have won if I had a few more seconds," the Pegasus said, clearly upset that she had lost. A bet was a bet though, and she would follow through on her promise. There were plenty of chances to one-up her Earth Pony friend later anyway.

"Well, I'd still like to help if I can. Consider it my thanks for everything so far."

"Well," she said, dragging it out. The reason being that Rainbow had a somewhat hopeful look on her face which she cleared in the hopes that nobody had seen it. Applejack knew that Rainbow knew if there were more helpers, it meant less work on everypony. "Well, I guess that's alright. So long as the two of you behave."

"Wonderful," Rainbow said.

The three set out to work, with Applejack bucking the trees, Rainbow and him picking up any stray apples that fell and loading the baskets of them onto the cart. And while both Rainbow Dash and Alex were perfectly willing to talk to Applejack, they kept silent around each other. Eventually Alex decided that it wouldn't hurt to know more about all of Twilight's friends, even if he didn't particularly like them, and had to be the bigger person here.

"So, Spike mentioned something about a Weather Team, and you being a part of it?"

"Yeah," she said trying to keep her answers short as possible.

"So what's that like?"

"Eh, it's easy. Well, easy for me anyway," she said with a self-satisfied smile. Alex had to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

"No, I mean what exactly do you do? What does a weather team do?"

"You don't know? What they don't have that sort of thing from wherever you're from?"

"Well, describe it to me and I'll be able to tell you." Rainbow Dash gave a sigh, but ultimately answered the question. She explained how the Weather Team she was in charge of around Ponyville helped provide the weather in the surrounding area. She and her team of Pegasus ponies could manipulate clouds to schedule whether it would be sunny or stormy or just about any kind of weather he could imagine. "Wow, controlling the weather directly then. That's pretty impressive."

"Thanks," she said, feeling satisfied. It was always a confidence booster to hear one was good at something, and if the human was willing to admit to how awesome she was, Rainbow Dash could at least be civil. He hadn't earned her trust just yet though. "So, how does that work where you are from?"

"Oh, it doesn't. We have no way of controlling weather back home, it just… you know, happens?" Rainbow Dash looks surprised and a bit appalled. "What?"

"What do you mean what? That's like living in the Everfree Forest! Like, all the time!"

"It's just how it is," Alex said shrugging. Though her comment had left him wondering. Was this the reason he had felt such a strong pull from the forest yesterday? Alex felt it hard to believe it was the only reason though. Still, he continued, "Don't forget that I'm not from this world. Stuff here that you have doesn't exist in my world. I mean, the sun and moon of my world also move on their own."

Rainbow Dash could hardly believe what he was saying. She suddenly had a newfound sort of respect for the human. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to live in some world that behaved like the Everfree for all of her life. "Sounds like you and Zecora would definitely hit it off like two crows in a cornfield," Applejack commented.

"Who's that?"

"She's a zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest. Not too far in mind you, but that's where you can find her place. We used to think she was a bit… well weird," she said, grimacing. Rainbow Dash winced too, both remembering that time when the mere mention of her name got the whole town into hiding. "Not exactly our proudest moment. But we definitely learned our lesson." Though Applejack was speaking to Alex, Rainbow felt as though the message was for her.

She supposed that if she were being honest with herself, Rainbow could admit to being a bit too hard on the human. Alex and Zecora did seem to share some similarities in their lives, and though Twilight's explanations and introductions at the welcoming party had helped, Alex was still something to hold a bit of fear about. They simply didn't know him that well.

Just like when they had first met Zecora.

Throughout the rest of the time they spent working, Rainbow and Alex became a bit more civilized with one another. Though it was clear they still had their own unresolved issues with one another, apparently it was in silent agreement that they not let that get in the way of things. By the time they were all finished for the morning, Alex felt himself completely out of breath and sore in places he wasn't previously aware of.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Rainbow said. Alex shot her a minor glare.

"I'm not used to this kind of work is all," he said. He wasn't out of shape by any stretch, but the work was something he wasn't used to doing. In truth he felt ready to call it quits two hours prior, but was proud of the fact that he was able to keep up this time, considering it was the first time he ever worked on a farm.

"Well, I say we all deserve a nice treat," Applejack said.

"Eh, can't I got stuff to do. Later!" And with that Rainbow flew off, leaving Alex and Applejack to themselves.

"What about you then? I reckon you'd like something to refresh yourself with, right?"

"Sure thing. Lead the way, Applejack." Alex followed the Earth Pony back into Ponyville proper, where they headed to a building Alex recognized as Sugercube Corner. Walking inside he recognized the pony sitting behind the counter, placing cupcakes into a display case. "Pinkie?"

"Yup! I help the Cakes run the bakery here, but they went out for a delivery. Can I getcha something?"

"Well, we just came from working in the orchard, so-."

"You got it," Pinkie interrupted. "Two Fantastic Farmer Fruit Smoothies coming right up!" With that, she quickly headed into the back, leaving the two alone.

"I swear I will never get her," Alex said, heading to a nearby table and resting there. "She is way too excitable."

"Well, I suppose you can say that's her most redeeming quality." The two made some small talk until Pinkie came by with their drinks and two cupcakes. She then proceeded to ramble on and on about Ponyville and the ponies who lived there and if Alex was having a good time fitting in.

And despite it all, for the first time since coming here, his heart felt at ease.

* * *

 _Chapter 3 End!_

 _Alex continues to try and fit in to Equestria properly, bonding with the ponies who vowed to help him. But unsolved mysteries are still abound. Will Discord be able, or even be willing, to help? And what connection could possibly be found between Alex and the Everfree Forest?_

 _Find out next time, on Interlocking Stories!_


	5. Blades, Hearts and Minds

_A/N: Big thanks to **Darkluigiforever** and **madrac** for the favs. No reviews this last chapter to talk about, but hey, more and more people are showing the love. I'll continue to work hard for you all.  
_

 _That said, I am on time today! I cannot make you all wait, the suspense must be killing you all! A little more establishing things with the relationships between our human protagonist and the ponies and some other things. Don't worry our first big action scene in Equestria is coming up soon. And I'm sure everyone reading is wondering what role Discord will be playing in the story. Don't worry, you will know soon enough._

 _That said, a recent poll stated that 1000 out of 1000 plot bunnies in my head demanded more Pinkie Pie in this chapter. I think the vote is rigged, but hey, I can't argue with the results. So more Pinkie Pie._

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 4: Blades, Hearts, and Minds**_

* * *

' _Just in case.'_

Though the words had long since faded from the blade, Alex stared it down as if he could see every letter. The message had felt like it was mocking him, though he wasn't sure if that was simply his imagination or not. But looking at the sword, Alex knew that he had to address this. He'd been putting it off for too long already.

It was now roughly one week since Alex had arrived in Equestria, and he was more or less well aware of how things worked in Ponyville. He knew where most places were at, and aside from perhaps a few of them, he had spoken to every pony that lived here at least once. He was feeling himself being more and more relaxed with each outing.

Every other day, he went to Applejack's farm to work, as both a means for income and to keep himself busy for a good portion of the day. In the afternoon, he would generally explore Ponyville a bit, perhaps visit a pony and learn a bit about them. Then it was back to Twilight's castle in the evening, where they mostly talked about their days and Alex asked if she had received anything from Princess Celestia yet.

He had yet to mention his feelings on the Everfree Forest, and he knew that he would eventually have to go inside to figure out just what about it pulled at him so strongly. But to do that, he would need a means of defending himself without having to rely on Twilight and her friends. Which meant he had to practice with the sword.

He swore the universe hated him at this moment.

He took the blade and decided that he should find a place out of the way in order to practice. He thought of stopping by Rarity's place and seeing if she couldn't make him something to hold the sword in so he wasn't just holding on to it like he was going to battle. Still, he had a prior commitment to head to before he could devote any time to it, so he quickly left the castle with a goodbye to Twilight and Spike and headed towards Sugercube Corner.

Something he had talked about with Pinkie was being able to taste test some of her creations. It had been a request by her, and the thought of free food was as good as any motivation for him to accept. Entering the establishment, he saw one of the owners setting up to open for the day. "Good morning, Mrs. Cake."

"Oh! Good morning Alex," she said. "Pinkie's in the back if you're looking for her."

"Thank you," he replied, walking to the back. Crossing into the kitchen, he saw Pinkie just put something into the oven, but hadn't seen what it was. Probably something he would be tasting later. "Hello Pinkie," he said, putting his sword to the side.

"Morning Alex," she said with what he thought was far too much enthusiasm this early in the day. "You're just in time! Tada!" She displayed a tray with rectangular pastries that looked to be holding something inside them. He poked one, expecting them to be hot or warm. Instead, they felt completely cool.

"So, what are these?"

"I call 'em, Quadruple Berry Blasts!" She took one and ate a rather large bite. Alex took one as well. The dessert certainly looked normal enough…

"So what's supposed to be in them?"

"Let's see… I added some strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries." Alex took a single bite before Pinkie pulled out a bottle. "And some of this for some kick!"

"HOT!" Alex opened his mouth sticking his tongue out and fanning it with his hands. Pinkie was immediately by his side with a jug of water, to which he quickly drank down about a third of it before he felt his throat start to cool down. He was still panting as he asked, "What the heck did you put in these!?" Pinkie held up the bottle for him to take, as he read the label. "Super-Hot Habanero Hot Sauce, guaranteed to burn your tongue off or your money back." He felt his mouth being opened and Pinkie gazing inside.

"Yup, still got your tongue!" Alex pulled away, taking another drink while Pinkie finished off her pastry without any sort of ill effects. "Looks like I might need something better for the 'Blast' part…"

"Not to question your tastes," he began, pausing to take another drink, "But I think the hot sauce might overshadow the taste of the berries…"

Pinkie thought about it for a moment, picking up a pastry. "You might be right… well, I guess we can call them Quadruple Berry Pastries, at least until I get the perfect Blast ingredient! Thanks!"

"No problem," he said, finally feeling that he got most of the taste of hot sauce out of his throat. He saw Pinkie hand him a piece of hard candy, perfectly shaped into a sphere with a neon blue color. It almost looked like a Jawbreaker candy. Pinkie already popped hers into her mouth. "What's this one," he said, picking it up, but not eating it yet.

"Eh, I haven't come up with a name for this one yet," she said around sucking on the candy treat. Alex popped his into his mouth, already feeling the taste of mint spread throughout his tongue, cooling it down. "I was thinking of calling it Super Taste Candy, or Changeling Sucker, or Everlasting Gobstopper, but that last one sounded way too boring."

"Wait what was that last one?"

"Changeling Sucker?" Alex stared her down, but before he could mention it, the taste of mint faded and was replaced by cinnamon. "Like it? It's supposed to change flavors the longer you suck on it!"

"It's pretty good," he said. The cinnamon flavor dissolved into a peppermint one. "This one might be a big hit," he said, but stopped when he noticed something off. "Uh, Pinkie, your tongue…"

"Oh, yeah, guess I haven't fixed that part yet." She held up a small mirror and showed Alex his reflection. Alex opened his mouth to find that his tongue was now completely the same color as the candy he was eating. "Guess I still gotta work on that, but it should be gone in an hour, I mean it was an hour the last time it happened but these should be the same cause I didn't change too much of the recipe but-."

"Okay, I get it Pinkie," Alex interrupted before there was a ringing sound like a small bell was rung. Pinkie quickly made her way to the oven and pulled out whatever it was she had placed there earlier. What Alex saw looked… almost burnt. It was dark, and there were dark chunks of what he assumed were chocolate bits. They were shaped like cookies. "These didn't come out so well…"

"Nope, they are perfect," Pinkie said, picking one up and taking a bite of it. Alex wondered how she did that without burning herself. She picked up another and held it out to him. "Try them! I call them my… 'Death by Chocolate' Chip Cookies!" Alex could practically see the lightning strike that came with saying the name.

Still, death by chocolate was probably one of the better ways to go out. Taking it, he broke it in half and was surprised by how warm and moist the center looked. He could see inside that along with chocolate chunks there were chocolate chips as well. Taking a bite, he felt his taste buds explode with the flavor of chocolate. "This is… really good," he said, surprised by how normal it was compared to the rest of her concoctions. "Though I think you might want to change the name…"

Once finished with Pinkie's tasting, Alex made a quick stop to Rarity's place to ask about something to hold his sword in. Rarity took some measurements, but said she would have to postpone making it as she recently got a big order from some clients and needed to be finished by the end of the week. Alex thanked her before heading off to find a nice secluded place to practice his swordsmanship.

He found it in the form of a small lake, just outside Ponyville. Holding the sword in his hands, he held it with a firm grip and faced the lake. _I don't know how to use this. I can't even begin to know if what I'm going to do will even help. But I have to try._ He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. He raised the sword and swung down…

"What are you doing?"

"GAH!" Alex lost his grip on the sword as it was sent flying in the direction of the water. He panicked for a moment, as the sword embedded itself into the ground just at the water's edge. He gave a sigh of relief before turning around to face the one who surprised him. He was a bit shocked to see Rainbow Dash, hovering in the air. He scowled at her, "Don't do that! That was seriously not cool!"

"Hehe, sorry about that," she said, with a sheepish expression. "But seriously, what are doing all the way out here?"

Alex took a deep breath and walked to his sword, pulling it out of the ground. "What does it look like? I'm practicing using this." He held up the blade for her to see. "I have to be at least somewhat decent at using this before I go into the Everfree Forest."

"Wait, what!?" She flew up to his face. "Why in the world would you want to go there?"

"Well, I was found nearby there, right? Maybe there is some clue to helping me get back to my world inside."

"Uh, hate to break it to you, but we all looked around that forest for clues after Fluttershy found you. We didn't find anything." Alex looked surprised by that. "Yeah, sorry."

"Well, I still think I should go, if only to get a bit of peace of mind," he said. "I'm not sure what would be in there, but I'll be fine. Perhaps being a human will help me in some way."

"Oh please," Rainbow Dash said, "there is no way we are going to let you go into that forest, especially not alone. You go, then me and the girls are gonna follow."

"Look, while I appreciate everything your friends have done for me," he said, as Rainbow narrowed her eyes at him not missing how he was excluding her, "I'd rather not impose on them more than I already have. They've already gone to quite a great length to help me, despite the fact that I'm just a stranger. And don't look at me like that," he said narrowing his own eyes at her. "I know you don't like me, you've already made that fact quite clear."

Rainbow crossed her front hooves over her chest. "Okay yeah, I don't really trust you. That's not really a secret. But I'm still gonna help you because I trust my friends," she said to his shock. "They trust you, they want to help. So even if I don't particularly like it, I'll help too. I'm not the type of pony who would turn her back on her friends."

"Is that so?"

"Of course! I was chosen as the Bearer of Loyalty for a reason you know," she said.

"Bearer of Loyalty?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, you probably don't know… okay, so do you know what the Elements of Harmony are?" Alex thought for a bit. The term sounded familiar, but he couldn't recall when it might have been mentioned. He shook his head no. "Ok, well, Twilight can explain it better than me, but their basically what make me and my friends heroes around here. There are six, and I was chosen to be the Bearer of Loyalty."

"Makes you heroes?"

"Well, yeah, they get all glowing and help us beat really bad guys. So you know, hero things. We don't have the actual Elements anymore, but like I said, Twilight could tell you a lot more than I can. She's the Egghead," she said a bit dismissively.

"Okay then."

"What? What 'okay then'? What does that even mean?"

"Look, I'd rather we not make this awkward, so let's just start over." He held up his sword. "I came here to practice using this. So why are you here?"

"Well, I came here to practice too," Rainbow said. "I mean, I'm really great at flying, but I still need to be even more awesome if I want to join the Wonderbolts."

"Wonderbolts? Never heard of them."

"Yeah, those guys are the best of the best of the best! And one day, I'm gonna be one," she said with conviction. She eyed the sword he was holding before smirking. "You know, if you really want to practice with that, you need a target. So how about you try hitting me with it?"

"Are you nuts," Alex shouted surprised. "This is a _sword_ you know, something that could really hurt."

"Please, you won't even scratch me with that thing," she said confidently. "You get to practice swinging that thing, and I get to practice my awesome moves. Win, win!"

"You're actually serious," he said disbelieving. And just when he thought Pinkie Pie was crazy. "You really mean it? Or are you messing with me?" She raised her hooves up and punched the air, signaling her readiness. "Alright then, you crazy mare…"

Alex lunged, swinging the sword downward, to which Rainbow merely shifted to the side. Recovering his momentum, he swung horizontally, causing the flying Pegasus to back off. He continued to chase her around, putting all his effort into each swing. She flew up suddenly, before dive bombing him. He ducked under her assault, before turning and swinging again. His grip was weak though, and the sword flew from his hands as she ducked under it. Alex went red in the face, as Rainbow tried not to laugh at his predicament.

He grabbed the sword again, and charged once more. Every attempt at attacking was met with a dodge or in some cases a counterattack. Nearly an hour later, Alex was panting for breath, but Rainbow Dash looked as if she hadn't even broken a sweat. "Damn it… I swear I am not out of shape…"

"See, told you. Not even a scratch."

"Okay, fine, you made your point," he said, holding out his hand. "Done?"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, holding out her hoof to shake. The moment he grabbed her though, he spun and threw her onto the ground. She shouted in surprise, before she felt him pin her body down with his free hand and his sword was pressed to her neck. "H-hey! What's the big idea!?"

"Well, this is what you would call, a trap. And you fell for it."

"No fair! That's cheating!"

"Oh? And when did I say that I 'give up'?" Rainbow's eyes widened when she realized that she had indeed been tricked. "You are the one who assumed I was surrendering." He got up helping her back up in the process.

"That was a cheap trick," she said, huffing in frustration.

"Well, maybe next time you should mention that in the rules. Not like real fights even have many rules," he said. Rainbow looked at him confused before realizing what he said and smirking.

"Oh, it is so on," she said with a wicked grin, the competitive spirit in her spiking up.

"Until then," he said, raising his sword once more. "Well, I still got enough in me for a bit more. You ready?" Rainbow shot up into the air and he rushed in to strike once more.

* * *

Alex returned to the castle in the evening tired, sweaty, and hungry. He wondered if he would have time for a bath before dinner, as he made his way through the castle halls. As he walked, he saw Twilight reading another book, walking the opposite way of him. "Hey there Twilight. What are you reading?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm looking up a transfer spell," she said. "I figured it might come in handy to help me learn the spell to get you home."

"No word on that yet from Princess Celestia huh?" Twilight shook her head sadly. "So, what's this about a transfer spell?"

"Well, I have a teleportation spell that can move me or something else from one place to another. A transfer spell is similar, because it switches the locations of two objects. But it's also more complicated because you have to take into account two things instead of just one."

"Sounds complicated alright," he said. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around it. It did lead to an interesting thought though. "Say, Twilight… you wouldn't happen to have any books about learning magic, would you?"

"You really want to learn magic," Twilight asked surprised.

"Well… ordinarily I would say no. I mean, I'm nothing special and magic doesn't exist in my world as far as I know. But I have to wonder if the reason I can't use magic is simply that or the fact that I haven't had the opportunity to try."

"Oh this is great," Twilight said, excitement in her voice. "I've never had my own student before! Oh do I need a lesson plan? Maybe I should assign some homework. Oh, and a list of recommended books to read. And maybe-."

"Twilight," Alex shouted above her rambling. "While I can understand your excitement, perhaps we should start by trying to find out if I can even do magic at all."

"Oh right, sorry," she said embarrassed, before taking on a thoughtful expression. "Well, I still have my old books from when I went to Magic Kindergarten… There might be something in there that could help you start out. At the very least, it should help you grasp all the basics. After that, we can figure out just how powerful your magic might be and what kind of spells you can learn."

"Okay, that's a good starting point. Send them by my room later. For now I'm going to take a bath." Twilight nodded before rushing off to find her old books. She never threw any away, considering it a sacrilege to do so.

Alex headed into the bathroom and began running a bath. Shedding his clothes, he stepped into the tub and allowed himself to relax and think about the day's events and what was surely to come. He knew the sooner he could explore the forest, the sooner his worries could be put to rest.

' _Just in case.'_

Closing his eyes, he put the words out of his mind. There was no sense in worrying about the message…

…yet.

* * *

 _Chapter 4 End!_

 _Alex's preparations to enter the forest continue, as he seeks to discover the limits of his own power. Does the Everfree truly hold the answers he seeks? Or is he potentially walking into needless danger?_

 _Find out in the next chapter of Interlocking Stories!_


	6. Forest of the Dark

_A/N: Nothing new to report. Enjoy the action sequences. I hope I did an okay job. Also, please excuse the mess of concrete and glass. Don't worry, you'll get that in a minute. Let me know how I'm doing. It's always good to get feedback from you all.  
_

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 5: Forest of the Dark**_

* * *

Celestia looked around the room she was in with a surprising amount of calmness. The room didn't have the traditional walls, but instead mirrors that seemed to wrap Celestia's image different in each one, much like funhouse mirrors. In the corner of the room was a hedge that was growing out of a flower pot and trimmed and shaped into the image of a palm tree. Elsewhere in the room was a table with a red and blue checkered pattern, complete with figures of ponies on it. A hole could be seen in the ceiling of the room, leading to what appeared to be the ocean. Rather than a staircase, a waterslide instead seemed to link the two floors together. And rather than water, it flowed upwards with chocolate milk.

It seemed Discord had redecorated since the last time she visited.

Random chaotic elements in the room aside, there was no sign of the one who created all this. Whenever Chaos was around, Discord was never far. Sighing in frustration, Celestia called out "Discord! Come out here at once."

A bright flash of light appeared in the middle of the room, revealing the master of Chaos in all his glory. A creature known as a draconequus, his body was a mishmash of several different animals, pieced together like a patchwork quilt. With a long, snake-like body, he had the paw of a lion for his right arm and the claw of an eagle in the left. His left and right legs were that of a goat and lizard respectively, and his tail was that of a dragon. On his back were a set of wings, one being like a normal Pegasus wing while the other was bat-like. He held a single horn on one side of his head, with an antler on the other. A fang could be seen hanging out of his grinning mouth, as he stroked his beard.

"Hey! Don't forget my captivating eyes," he said wriggling them. (The author of the story hereby requests he _**stop breaking the fourth wall**_.) "Oh you're no fun."

"Discord," Celestia called out again, trying not to think why he was talking to himself. "We need to talk."

"Oh, Celestia, I almost didn't recognize you," he said, ruffling her mane. "Did you get a new stylist for your mane? No, wait, don't tell me! New tiara? No? Wait, it's the glasses, right?" As he said this, he snapped his fingers and a set of glasses appeared on Celestia's face, startling her. She used her magic to float them away before banishing them.

"Discord, while I would like to say this is merely a social visit, there are very important things that we need to talk about. Something unexpected has happened."

"What, are you talking about that human boy?" Celestia was surprised by this, though she tried not to let it show. "Oh come now Celestia, you should know me better by now." Celestia seriously wanted to debate that statement, especially considering his recent actions. Still, she had to give him some benefit of doubt, as he had seemed genuinely sorry for the incident with Tirek.

"In that case, you should already know that I am at a bit of an impasse regarding what to do with him," she said. "I have already spoken with him, and while I promised I would help him I fear I cannot do so without your help."

"Why Celestia, I'm so flattered you would come to me for help." He snapped his fingers again, one of his hands becoming a sock-puppet of Celestia's head. "Oh Discord, Discord, where for art thou Discord," he said, heightening the pitch of his voice and moving the head to act as if it were talking. Celestia took a deep breath to calm herself. This was one of his usual tricks after all, to throw others off guard. "What? No encore? I'll have you know that theater is one of my favorite subjects," Discord said pouting.

"Well, don't quit your day job for it," Celestia said good naturedly. "But in all seriousness, the human being here is a big problem especially if he did come here because of another."

"Oh you mean him."

"What!? You know who is responsible for this," Celestia shouted, unable to hide her surprise.

"In a sense… look Celestia," he said, and the Sun Princess froze. Discord was actually speaking seriously to her, and that alone scared her more than she wanted to admit. "You can't handle this. I can't handle this. It's better if we don't get involved."

"What do you mean by that," Celestia asked, wondering if this was some ploy for him not to help.

"Look, even if I was to try and help, I can't actually do anything. I don't know what world that human came from, so I can't send him back. And even if I did, there's a good chance that guy who sent him here in the first place would try to stop me. Unfortunately, he might actually be able to." Celestia was shocked. Even she knew that if Discord were to ever remotely think of getting serious with the use of his magic, he far outclassed her. There would be almost nothing that could stop him. So to hear that something out there could potentially stop him was alarming.

Suddenly Discord smirked. "Hey, all you out there watching, tell me that was cool? I sounded cool back there, right?" (The fourth wall. _**STAY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.**_ ) "Tough crowd."

"This is not a joke Discord," Celestia yelled, finally losing all patience with him. "This could bring serious consequences to Equestria!"

"Oh, lighten up, little Miss Ray of sunshine. Do you really think I would let someone, anyone, mess around here and let them get away with it?" A brief pause. "Wait, don't answer that."

Celestia narrowed her eyes at him, something about his attitude feeling wrong before they widened in realization. "No… Discord, you didn't!" Discord turned away, snapping his claw to materialize a set of headphones on, but Celestia wasn't having it. She forced them off with her magic before yelling at him, "Are you seriously going behind my back on this?"

"It's not what you think! I didn't have anything to do with him being here, I swear on my friendship with Fluttershy," he said. That alone settled some of Celestia's anger. Joker he may be, Discord's friendship with Fluttershy wasn't something he would risk on a whim. At least, that was what the incident with Tirek had proven. "Look, Celestia, I can't help. And that's all I have to say on the matter."

Celestia frowned. She felt there was still something unresolved here, but for now, she knew she couldn't press further without Discord trying to dodge any questions. This would be the best she could get from him for now. "Discord, I want to believe in you. I really do. I'll let it slide for now, but at least promise me that I can count on you. That your _friends_ can count on you," she said, stressing the importance of it. Without waiting for a reply, she left him be.

Discord sighed. He wasn't used to this feeling inside of him. He was a very casual and laid-back sort of Chaos God. The last time he had felt this way had been, coincidently enough, the first time he had made Fluttershy disappointed in him. The first time that he had ever cared to admit to himself that he really did value the efforts the shy Pegasus made to become his first friend.

"Well, this turned out to be a fine mess." He snapped his fingers, causing a large manuscript to fall into his hands and began to flip through it. "Maybe I can… Hmm… wait, what!? What is the meaning of this? I'm not going to show back up in this story for HOW LONG!?" He threw the stack of papers up where it crashed through the ceiling and into the ocean that was the second floor of his home. "I need a new agent. Probably should have read the fine print too. Oh well, I won't be defeated that easily! Hey, all you out there! Let's have a party! Big and loud! The most chaotic party you will-."

( _ **ENOUGH!**_ Scene transition, scene transition!)

"Wait, no! I was just about to-!"

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure you girls want to do this?"

"Of course. We promised after all."

Alex, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were all standing before the entrance to the Everfree Forest. 'Entrance' being relative to the fact that it was the only way in that had something that could be considered a 'path'. Of course, they could have entered from any number of places along the border, but there was a high chance of getting lost. The path was worn throughout the ages, as if the forest seemed to avoid trying to grow over it.

It had been three weeks now since Alex had arrived, and with still no word from Celestia about the means of getting home, Alex was starting to become desperate. As much as he wanted to have the patience for things, he couldn't help but wonder what things were happening back home. He was certain that by now his disappearance was noticeable, and there was likely a large search going out for a missing person. Especially one that seemed to disappear off the face of the planet.

Life was continuing without him back home. And the longer he stayed here, as nice as it was, the harder it would become to readjust back home.

The seven of them entered the forest, Alex with his hand on his weapon, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Everyone in the group seemed tense, save for Pinkie who looked as carefree as ever. The forest's calling to him also seemed to be stronger, as if it were leading him somewhere. But to where, and what he would find, he was unsure.

Not ten minutes in, and the trees were already starting to make light scarce. Alex wondered if the forest did this intentionally. Several times he had been told that this place seemed to have a mind and will of its own. A rustling sound could be heard from nearby, causing everyone to freeze.

"W-what was that," Fluttershy asked, terrified of what the answer might be.

"It was probably nothing… just the wind," Applejack said, trying to reassure her.

Alex drew his sword, looking around. He felt a chill run down his spine. "Be careful. We aren't alone."

"Well, duh," Pinkie said as if it were the most obvious statement she had heard. "There's seven of us here! Of course we aren't alone."

"No, Pinkie, that's not what I-."

His words were cut short as three shadowy figures burst from the trees behind them, charging towards the ponies. Rainbow Dash reacted first, charging at the oncoming creatures. The action was so foolish it stunned the one she was aiming for enough to be knocked down. The other two paid no heed to their fallen comrade as Twilight set up a barrier, blocking the two creatures. Several more growls could be heard as Alex faced the front to see six more of them.

"Timberwolves," Applejack called out, answering Alex's unspoken question. The beasts certainly looked like wolves, though the defining aspects of them seemed to be that they were made entirely of tree branches. Where eyes would have been instead were glowing lights and a green mist-like substance was escaping from their jaws. They bound towards the group, intent on making a meal of them.

Alex raised his blade against the one that lunged for him, jaws of wood clenching around steel and trying to wrestle the weapon out of his grip. He held fast, keeping the sword in hand, and after a few moments was able to pry it away and swing, knocking the creature back. It wasn't enough to stop it, but it did give the human some breathing room.

"Yeehaw!" Applejack let out a cry as she swung her lasso at the Timberwolf that was charging her, dodging it expertly as if she were at a rodeo. The rope latched around the creature's mouth, holding it shut as she pulled. The creature struggled, but for all the fight it put up, the Earth Pony was stronger. She gave another mighty pull, flipping the creature over and before it could right itself, had found all its limbs tied together. "There, that outta hold you."

Pinkie and Fluttershy were together, with three wolves descending on them. Fluttershy was cowering behind Pinkie who had a look of determination on her face. Pinkie reached behind her to pull out a cannon roughly just as big as she was. "It's party time!" Pulling on the rope attached to it, the cannon shot out a blast of pressurized air and confetti, blasting apart the three wolves easily.

Rarity assumed a defensive stance, trying to look brave in the face of danger. "Stay back, you… you… uncouth ruffian!" The Timberwolf howled and launched itself at her in response. Rarity gave a scream and ducked down, just in time to let the wolf sail overhead. It quickly turned as it landed, ready to strike again, when it was met with the glow of a lavender horn.

"Take this!" Twilight unleashed a blast of magic point blank to its face, knocking it away and forcing it down. "Rarity, are you okay?"

"No, I am not okay," she wailed. "Do you have any idea how long it's going to take to get all this dirt out of my coat?" Twilight rolled her eyes, taking that as Rarity-speak for 'I'm fine, thank you for asking'.

As Alex readied himself, his gaze flickered upwards for a moment before he threw his sword at the wolf. It nimbly dodged, and charged in, sensing the human now had no weapon and was unprotected. "The first rule of fighting is…" Right as the wolf was about to snap at his head, Rainbow Dash came crashing down, both hooves striking at the wolf's back and reducing it to a pile of branches. "…it's only over, when it's over. Nice moves."

"Thanks," the Pegasus said proudly. "See, told you you'd need our help."

"Alright, alright, no need to rub it in," Alex said annoyed.

"We should keep moving," Twilight said. "Timberwolves don't stay down for long, so we shouldn't be here when they reassemble themselves." Everyone nodded as Alex grimaced. He couldn't help but wonder just what kind of dangers he was getting himself into.

They continued to march along the path, keeping an eye out for any potential dangers. The ground suddenly seemed to become unstable, and Alex looked down to see large vines crossing over the path. Part of him wanted to dismiss them, but having just seen pieces of wood animated into potentially deadly creatures, he knew he couldn't trust anything in this forest.

"H-help!" Everyone turned to see Rainbow Dash tied down by the vines in the air, the plant-life binding her wings to her body to keep her from escaping. Several more wrapped around Applejack and Rarity, with even more approaching for the rest of them.

"No rest for the weary huh," Alex said, slashing at the vines with his sword. After cutting off a few of them, they seemed much more hesitant to strike at him. Twilight kept the ones coming for her at bay with her magic, while Pinkie nimbly dodged every attempt at her with some rather impressive acrobatics. For some reason, they seemed to ignore Fluttershy.

Alex rushed to the trapped ponies, the vines lashing out to stop him. "Out of my way!" The last two weeks, he had trained with his blade alongside Rainbow Dash. Though he had only won a handful of times, and each time it was exploiting some trick rather than a true win, it didn't mean his training was for nothing. He was able to wield his blade much more efficiently than before. And compared against Rainbow, who's speed was unmatched by many, these vines seemed to move much slower than they actually were.

Cutting a path through, he freed the speedy Pegasus before shouting, "All of you, retreat! I'll hold them off!"

"No way," Rainbow said, now working to free Applejack. Alex covered her, keeping the vines away. "We can't just leave you here!"

"Rainbow's right," Applejack said, now properly freed. "We're in this together!" Alex looked over to the others. Twilight had resorted to a large shield spell that prevented the vines from coming close, but it looked to be taking all her concentration to maintain. There wasn't a lot of time left.

The three quickly freed Rarity, and they ran. The vines seemed intent on chasing them, to which Alex turned every now and then to cut them down when they got too close and continued to run, Twilight and Rarity providing some magical support to help him get back together with the group. After several minutes of running, the vines looked to be no longer chasing them, causing them all to give a sigh of relief.

"C-can we go home now," Fluttershy asked.

"Not yet," Alex said. "We still haven't found what we're looking for."

"And just what are we looking for," Rainbow said a bit peeved. "All you've mentioned is 'clues' but we don't even know what that looks like!"

"I'll know when I see it. I have this… feeling." Alex looked around, trying to determine where they might be. In the distance, he could see something rising up above the tree line. As he gazed to it, he could feel the pulling sensation in his chest increase. "That there… what is that," he asked, pointing to the structure.

"Ah! That's the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters," Twilight said. "It used to be Celestia's and Luna's castle before the one in Canterlot was built."

"They had a castle all the way out here? What possessed them to do that," Alex asked.

"Well, it was over a thousand years ago… who knows what this place used to look like back then."

"Is something the matter about it Alex," Applejack asked.

"I've got this feeling… the answer might be inside." The group moved out, heading in the direction of the castle. Thankfully, it seemed the forest had no more surprises for them as they made it to the bridge that connected to the castle proper.

"Still as majestic as ever. Though it could do with a proper dusting," Rarity said.

"You've been here before?"

"Yup! Lots of times! There's all sorts of secret passages and fun slides and even an organ," Pinkie said cheerfully.

"Yeah, this place used to the resting spot for the Elements of Harmony, before we gave them back to their original holding place," Twilight said. "Since then it's kind of been a…"

"A clubhouse," Rainbow Dash said, to the annoyance of Twilight. "What? We hung out here and stuff."

"We did a lot more than just 'hang out' here RD," Applejack said. The group made their way into the destroyed throne room. It was there that Alex saw _**it**_.

'It' being a black sphere floating above one of the thrones that had the insignia of the moon on it. It looked like it could fit in the palm of his hand, and the strange pulling sensation seemed to originate from it. "Girls, I think this is it! What do you suppose that thing is?"

"Um, what thing? The throne?"

"No, the thing floating above the throne. That sphere."

"Um, Darling are you quite alright," Rarity asked concerned. "There's nothing there."

"What? No it's…" he looked at them as they gazed back in confusion, trying to see what he was talking about. "You guys… can't see it?"

"I guess not… you said it was a sphere? Does it have any markings or anything on it," Twilight asked.

"No, it's just…" Alex turned back to look at it. Suddenly he was overcome with a strange urge to grab it. He didn't understand what it meant, but he felt his body reacting to the thing of its own accord. He didn't even seem to notice he was walking towards it. He thought he could faintly hear someone calling his name. But a loud buzzing noise seemed to be filtering anything else out. He reached his hand out and touched the sphere.

" _ **What lurks… in your heart?"**_

Several things happened all at once. The sphere grew to match his size and 'opened' up before swallowing him. Alex gave a confused shout as the thing enveloped his body. As it did so, the others could suddenly see it, and shouted in surprise and fear at the object that seemed to have eaten their friend whole. As soon as it closed over him, it distorted in shape before sticking to him like a second skin. They could see Alex struggle against it, trying to tear it off before he went limp, simply standing there.

The black mass began to evaporate off of him, leaving behind the human seemingly unchanged. Fluttershy stepped forwards. "Alex? Are you… okay?"

Rainbow had been watching very carefully and had thus been the first to notice the human's hand tighten around his blade. "Fluttershy, look out!" She raced forwards and grabbed the shy Pegasus by her tail and pulled. Fluttershy gave a shout of terror as she saw the tip of Alex's blade pass over her face, a mere inch away from slicing her open. "What the hay has gotten into you!?"

But her words were falling on deaf ears, as Twilight gave a gasp of surprise. "Girls, get away from him! Something's wrong!" Indeed, Alex's posture had changed to one ready to strike. He let out a low growl from his throat, as his eyes bored into them with challenge. Twilight was surprised to see that instead of their usual color, they had changed to a deep red. And they were _glowing_ as well.

With a wordless scream, Alex charged.

* * *

 _Chapter 5 End!_

 _A Ray of Hope instead leads to the Dawn of Despair. With Discord unwilling to help and Alex under a strange influence to attack his new friends, things don't look good for our Heroes. But is this strange dark power another of the mysterious man's means of controlling Alex? Or a different Entity altogether?_

 _Find out, next time!_


	7. Heart of Rage

_Big thanks to **edvis93** and **EnderBlazeHybrid** for the recent favs. Here's hoping I can keep it all good for you.  
_

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 6: A Heart of Rage**_

* * *

 _This is a story of the past._

 _Once, long ago, there lived two sisters who ruled the land called Equestria. Together, they sought to create a place of peace and happiness for the three types of ponies, Earth Ponies, Pegasus Ponies, and Unicorn Ponies, to live in harmony together. Though their rule was still short, they averted many disasters from various sources of evil that threatened the peace of their subjects. The two were praised, heralded as heroes and worshiped and loved by all._

 _That was the state of the land when the_ _ **Darkness**_ _appeared. The_ _ **Darkness**_ _wanted nothing more than to spread terror and misery to the land. But it knew that it could not do this easily, so long as the two Alicorn Sisters were in power and held possession of the greatest threat to the_ _ **Darkness**_ _'s rule._

 _The Elements of Harmony._

 _But the_ _ **Darkness**_ _was cunning. It knew how to inflict its power onto the land and keep the Princesses from interfering. And so, the_ _ **Darkness**_ _approached the younger of the two siblings, and searched for the opening it needed. It found it soon, in the smallest crevasse of her heart, where the smallest crack of doubt had formed. A small crack that meant nothing, should it only stay as such. But the_ _ **Darkness**_ _had ways of breaking that heart into pieces._

 _And so it spent many moons, whispering words of doubt and fear. Slowly, the crack in the younger sister's heart grew. Eventually, her thoughts and feelings were poisoned by the_ _ **Darkness**_ _which lead to finally a confrontation. The_ _ **Darkness**_ _took full control, transforming the once pure Alicorn of the Night into the wielder of Eternal Night,_ _ **Nightmare Moon**_ _. Its plan was perfect. Either the older sister would refuse to fight or the two sisters would end up destroying one another. That would leave only the_ _ **Darkness**_ _to rule this land._

 _But it had not expected the Elder Sister of the Sun to use the power that it feared the most against her own sister. Thankfully, it had weakened greatly, and could only banish_ _ **Nightmare Moon**_ _into the moon itself. But the_ _ **Darkness**_ _was patient. It knew that it would not be banished forever. And over a thousand years later, the seal which had been placed upon it was destroyed, allowing it to once again roam the world._

 _But it had not counted on the Elements of Harmony finding new owners, ones who could unleash the full might of its power once more. The_ _ **Darkness**_ _was purged away, reverting the Princess of Night back into her true form, the poisoned thoughts flushed out and making her pure once more. And so the_ _ **Darkness**_ _had been defeated, never again to blight the world._

 _Or so it was believed._ _ **Darkness**_ _was not something that could be so easily destroyed._

 _It cowered, hiding in the place of its defiance and defeat. It would need time to recover, to seek a new host that would bent to its will. And as luck would have it, it didn't have to wait long. Not even a few years after its defeat at the hands of the now Princess of Friendship, something appeared. A strange being, not of this world._

 _A chance for revenge._

 _The_ _ **Darkness**_ _was careful to lure out the one that would become the instrument to its return. It knew nothing about this strange being, only that it was the only chance it would have for who knew how many millennia. It appeared before him, and the foolish one had opened itself to it._

" _ **What lurks… in your heart?"**_

 _The_ _ **Darkness**_ _lunged, searching for the foothold it needed. And it found it easily. A dark emotion that had been buried, but buried poorly. One that could be used to easily bend this creature to its will. It latched onto this emotion and forced it to grow out of control, until it consumed him. Until it filled his heart and mind to bursting with unspeakable rage._

 _ **Hatred**_ _… oh how easily the_ _ **Darkness**_ _could use it…_

* * *

She recognized it.

It was, perhaps, the only reason that she knew this wasn't some elaborate trap by the human Alex to dispose of them. The dark powers that coursed through him were startlingly familiar to her. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that whatever this was, she had faced it once before. Her immediate desire to not die though, was preventing her from recalling what it was.

The girls scattered, splitting up as soon as he rushed them. Alex twisted his body and focused on the pony before him, Pinkie Pie. Another wordless scream preemptive to his charge, to which Pinkie withdrew a red cape and held it up. "Toro, toro!" She twisted out of the way as he charged past, dodging the blade as he went by. "Ole!"

"Pinkie, look out," Fluttershy called in warning, as the pink pony turned and saw Alex mid-swing to slam his blade down onto her. A bubble of magic materialized around her before teleporting her to safety as the sword crashed into the ground. Alex gave a cry of frustration before yanking the blade free and searching for his prey.

"Thanks Twilight," Pinkie said. "But what do we do now?"

"Only one thing we can do Pinkie," Twilight said. She knew that they would have to use the power of their Friendship, which would drive out whatever was controlling Alex. The biggest problem was she had no idea what kind of aftereffects it would have on the human. Every time she had used this power it had always been against something that was from this world. Even in the realm of Canterlot High, her opponents had been originally from Equestria. "Look out, here he comes again!"

Twilight knew that Alex wouldn't give them the time they needed to transform and use their power, so they needed to stun him, if only for a few moments, before they could finish the battle. Twilight launched several blasts of magic at him, meant to knock him down but not to hurt him too badly. She was surprised, therefore, to see Alex swinging his sword and using the blade to deflect the magic away from him. One such strike had cleanly rebounded the magic back to her, knocking her off her hooves.

She had been stunned. One of the first things she had done was ask to examine the sword, in order to determine what, if any, magical properties it might possess. She had been surprised to find that it was simply an ordinary sword, at least from what tests she could make on it without breaking it down completely to analyze. Which was strange to her, because she had expected something more from it. It almost had seemed to be purposefully hiding its true nature to her.

It was the only explanation she had for why what Alex had done should have been _not possible_.

Fluttershy tended to her as she recovered from the stunning effects of her magic. Rainbow Dash charged in, intent on laying a good, old-fashioned beat down. She knew she could dodge anything Alex tried against her, which was the only reason she felt confident enough to try. Alex wildly swung at her, face contorted in fury with every strike, but Rainbow had been faster and adaptive. She knew not to tempt fate this time around. Though she never feared being hurt before, she also knew that Alex had never seriously intended on harming her before either. This was not the case here. One slip up could mean the end.

It didn't help that all that swinging meant she couldn't get a single good strike in.

Fortunately for her, she wasn't alone. Rarity had snuck around to get a better view of the fight, with an idea in mind. Like many other Unicorns, Rarity had mastered the basics of magical talents that were used to help with everyday tasks. Though she was no master like Twilight, she did excel in many spells that revolved around gemstones, few as they were in number. But gemstones had been a small part of it. In reality, anything metallic also fell into her jurisdiction of control.

What was a sword but a refined lump of metal?

The right moment was all she needed. As Alex was about to swing upwards, her magic struck, enveloping the blade and forcing it to stop. Almost immediately, a dark presence seemed to radiate from the sword, sending a chill down her spine and forcing her to drop the spell in surprise. But that small window of opportunity was enough for Rainbow to slug Alex hard in the cheek, knocking him down. Rainbow winced slightly as he hit the ground hard.

Not hard enough apparently, because it didn't take long for Alex to get back up, nursing his cheek. It was discolored a bit and would likely become a nasty looking bruise later, but it wouldn't bother him for now. His hate filled gazed crossed to her before he performed his second impossibility for the fight.

Despite all the excitement and hope the two of them shared, Alex was frustrated to discover that he could not, in fact, use magic. The books he read were interesting and he could somewhat grasp the theories behind using it, but magic was a foreign element to him. He could not even summon the glowing aura that signified magic's raw use before spell-casting, let alone even the simplest of spells the books Twilight had to offer.

Which was why when Alex focused and caused black flames to erupt from his sword was, again, _not possible._

 _What is this thing doing to him,_ Twilight thought. Whatever that dark magic was, it was changing Alex in ways she could barely comprehend. She couldn't help but wonder if there was even anything left of the original human inside. Alex swung his blade, launching the fire in Rainbow Dash's direction. Rainbow was able to dodge, but with the ability to strike from afar, she had now come to a serious disadvantage.

Worse yet, it seemed that the black flames were interfering with Rarity's magic. Alex had yet to even notice her, as he was completely focused on the flying Pegasus before him. One small mercy perhaps. Pinkie suddenly rushed past her, and despite the shouts of warning, headed straight for Alex. The human saw her coming, and tried to strike, but Pinkie had jumped, quite impressively, and landed on his back, holding onto him like a rider would an unruly horse.

Had he been in his right mind at the time, the irony would not have been lost on him.

Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a cream pie before smashing it into his face. She jumped off as Alex was disoriented, spluttering and trying to wipe off the stuff from his face to let him see. As he did, he felt his body being held down and looked to see rope around him torso, pinning his arms down. He followed it to the source, Applejack, before letting out a growl. "Quickly Twi! I don't know how long I can hold him!"

Twilight prepared her spell, launching it towards him. With surprising strength, Alex threw himself to the ground, nearly dragging Applejack with him, though she was able to keep her ground. The black flames shot out from his body, burning away the ropes and freeing him once more. He made ready to charge at them again, when his path was blocked.

"Stop!" It was all Fluttershy could say and do, other than to try and get in the way, staring down Alex. Her 'Stare' as it was called, was able to pierce into the very being of creatures and often had unnerved them into a state of temporary shock and inaction, to which she could either reason with them or give her friends time to come up with a solution. Even the most wild of beasts could not resist her stare.

Alex was no exception. However, the shy Pegasus could not begin to fathom just how lost in his rage he had become. A mere second passed before Alex regained his bearings and raised his sword with a shout to strike. Fluttershy lost her nerve and closed her eyes, awaiting the finishing blow. When a few seconds passed and she realized that she was still alive, she hesitantly opened her eyes.

The blade was inches away from her face, and the hands holding onto it were shaking. There was a look of extreme concentration on the human's face, teeth grit in focus as he seemed to be physically trying to hold himself back from making the strike. Fluttershy looked into his eyes, and could see it clearly. There, far beneath the surface and buried under a mountain of hate and rage and pain, clarity was struggling to break free. The old Alex, the one they had known for not even a month, yet could call him a friend, was still there, trying to take back control. "Alex?"

"Flutter… shy…." He said brokenly, as if trying to remember how to speak, "run… away… hurry…." Alex gave another shout of anger and the clarity vanished, replaced once more by the blinding fury. He raised his blade up again to strike, but it was too late. He had given himself away.

Rainbow's body crashed into him, knocking him down. She could hear the sound of something cracking, but she pushed that thought away with the fact that saving Fluttershy was more important. Alex didn't get up right away, which allowed Twilight to finally get a clean hit on him, his body becoming immobile. She didn't know how long it would last, so now was the time to act. "Everyone, let's go! Friendship is Magic!"

Six auras of magical power enveloped the ponies into sphere-like shapes, before transforming them. Their manes and tails grew longer and became wildly stylized. Their bodies became enveloped in an incredible magical energy that caused them all to shine. As Alex watched them, struggling to move, he felt a deep rooted fear within him. Yet at the same time, he felt as if it was foreign as well, coming from something else that wasn't him.

 _I hope this works,_ Twilight thought before the six of them launched several beams of light up and towards the possessed human. The lights merged, becoming a swirling rainbow-colored vortex of energy before slamming into Alex. He pushed against it, trying to resist the power but it was too much. The energy pushed completely though him. And pushed a certain 'something' out of him.

It was completely black and vaguely human shaped, with glowing red eyes. It let out a scream of agony before the light dispersed it completely. With the beam finished, Alex merely stood there, gripping his sword weakly. It glowed slightly with an unfamiliar power, unnoticed by its wielder. It didn't matter in the end, for a moment later the glow faded and the sword slipped from his grasp.

And with the sword fallen, Alex too fell with it.

* * *

It watched.

That was its purpose, after all. Created to watch the worlds, observe its inhabitants, and send the reports back to its creator and master. Its power allowed it to gaze at things from a far and safe distance. Determine accurately many different things about its targets, things perhaps that they were not even aware of themselves.

Of course, it wasn't easy. It was designed to be stealthy, completely undetectable by normal methods. Of course, it could still be seen by certain ways. But few even knew of these ways. And fewer still could even still find it. After all, why would anyone suspect to look for something they didn't even know was there? With this, it and its brethren had infiltrated many, many worlds. All for the sake of the master. The master of all things. Or soon to be anyway.

Truthfully, it hadn't meant to stay. It believed that it had observed all there was to see. It was ready to leave this world behind, another stepping stone for the master. But then the Anomaly appeared, and it had to observe it. It didn't belong, and yet it was. It had to ensure that it would not be a threat. Threats had to be watched and reported carefully. They had to be dealt with appropriately. It would not do for the master to be threatened.

And so it watched, silently, until at last it was put down in the recent battle between itself and the residents of this world. The Anomaly had interacted with a third power that was influencing its actions, but this power had already been observed and reported. There was nothing new about it. Which meant that now, it was time to make the final report and see just what was to be done about this world. It would fall, one day, but how soon that would be was dependent on this latest information and what its master thought. The master's word was law.

It focused, preparing its magic to return home. The power needed to break though the worlds' boundaries was immense, and to do so without alerting the residents of the world was an even greater task. But it had done it before and could do so again easily enough. Hundreds of thousands of times and this would be no different…

"And just where do you think you're going?"

It turned, the power it had been gathering becoming malevolent. It knew not how it had been found, only that it had to eliminate whatever found it immediately. But before it could even do anything, the creature was bisected in half. It gazed curiously at the one who struck it down. It had to memorize the face of the one that managed to destroy it. Though the master would perhaps never see it. It had to know. It had to observe.

A completed job to the very end.

Its last thought, before it was erased completely, was that the world was now marked. That something, anything, could find it was a feat that its master would soon be aware of. And something of that kind of power had to be destroyed. The thing that ended it may have stopped it from completing its task, but doomed the world in the process.

Well, it wasn't as if this world wasn't doomed anyway. Its expiration date was coming a lot sooner than expected was all.

The one who destroyed it turned away, facing in the direction of where the human and ponies lay. "Now then… it's time to truly begin."

* * *

Alex opened his eyes wearily. Everything within him seemed to ache all at once. He closed his eyes at the presence of bright light, trying not to irritate them. As soon as he could open them safely once more, he immediately wished he hadn't.

The white room. Would it forever haunt his dreams?

"It's not real," he repeated to himself, again and again in the vain attempt to believe it. This had to be another stress induced nightmare. Then again, perhaps it would be a better reality than the one he knew to be true. He could still feel it, the darkness crawling over his skin like thousands of tiny bugs. The rage that filled his entire being. The power coursing through him and taking away all control. The fight… dear gods, how he wished that was also just some horrible nightmare. That he didn't try to hurt, even kill, the ones who had readily accepted him since coming to this world called Equestria.

Was it some sort of divine judgment that would force him to forever be nothing more than a puppet to things far beyond his understanding?

The only solace he could take was the fact that for a brief moment he had managed to take back control before he could commit an unspeakable crime. What kind of monster would it make him to kill _Fluttershy_ of all ponies? Even if he was being manipulated, he would never forgive himself. Hell, he had come off worse than they did and he still wasn't sure he could forgive himself.

It was then that he noticed the familiar weight of the sword in his hand. He glared at it. Thinking about what it was, and what it almost did, was enough to get him angry again. Except now he could only be angry at himself. At his own foolishness. He raised his arm and was about to throw the damned thing away when a voice stopped him.

"You really are a troublesome toy, aren't you?" Alex froze for a moment before turning to see the man from before. The one who started all this nonsense. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"You," Alex yelled at him. "What the hell do you want from me now!?"

"Now, is that any way to greet me?" Instead of an answer Alex charged in, swinging his sword at the man. In response, he merely reached up and grabbed the blade, stopping the attack completely. Alex looked in shock to see him holding onto the blade as if it were the most casual thing in the world. "Really now, don't you ever learn?" He twisted his body around and launched a kick to Alex's face, knocking him down.

"Damn it, why is it always the face!?"

"Oh silence. Just be glad you're not in your real body, otherwise it would be too painful to even move." Alex froze at that.

"What do you mean, my real body?"

"Well, considering the state your body was in after your little spat with the locals," he said, and Alex turned away at the reminder of the fight, "I felt it more appropriate to simply steal away your consciousness this time. Don't worry, it doesn't make you dead, but you won't wake up until after I'm through with you."

Alex resigned himself to being stuck here for the time being. He knew he couldn't win against him, but had felt obligated to try anyway. Still, all of this only served to anger him more. "So answer my question. What do you want with me?"

"Well, I'm here because of your new powers," he said.

"New powers? What are you talking about?"

""Oh don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about." Alex grit his teeth in anger. "You know, you've been very good at entertaining me despite your reluctance in the beginning. Have a change of heart?"

"Shut up," Alex yelled, wanting nothing more than to try and slice him again. He shouted in surprise and let go of the sword when he saw the black flames covering it once more. When the sword hit the ground, they dispersed. "No…"

"Oh yes. You know, I didn't expect this sort of thing to happen, but now that it has, you need to learn to control that power. And I am going to help you do that."

"I don't _want_ this power," he said distressed. "And why would even want to help me anyway? If you want to do anything for me, take me back home!"

"Sorry not happening," he said. "Besides, I told you before, the first time we met. I take good care of my toys. It wouldn't do to have them accidently… 'break' on me." Alex shivered at that. The man had made no secret that he cared nothing for Alex's wants or life. Even this offer of 'help' was nothing more than amusement to him in some way.

But did he really have a choice? He couldn't grasp anything about the dark flames, other than they had come from that darkness that had possessed him. And the apparent fact that they were now under his flimsy control. If he was indeed forced to bear this burden, then he had to learn just what it was he was burdened with. And at the very least, hope that it would mean he wouldn't hurt his friends again.

If he could still even call them his friends, after this.

* * *

 _Chapter 6 End!_

 _The Darkness that threatened to overtake Alex has been beaten, but the cost of doing so may have been too high. And as one evil falls, another rises up in secret. What new dangers will lurk around the corner?_

 _Find out... next time!_


	8. Meaning of Oneself

_Really, really, REALLY sorry that I missed last week's update. And that this week's update is really late. Ugh, life is kicking my ass. I promise I'll try to make it up to you all, my loyal readers. In the meantime, enjoy what I got for you.  
_

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 7: Meaning of Oneself**_

* * *

Twilight Sparkle was not having the best time. As she walked along the hallways of her castle, carrying with her a tray filled with food, she could not help but feel a bit down and out, especially considering the things that had been happening recently. Still, she had hope that things would get better soon. It was all she could hope for anyway. Reaching her destination, she opened the door that led into Alex's room and merely gave a sigh.

Alex was still in bed, the same as he had been for the past week. On the nightstand by his bed, was last night's dinner once again untouched. Since he regained consciousness three days ago, he had refused to see or speak to anyone, simply lying in bed and shutting out everypony who tried to talk to him. Even Fluttershy had been unsuccessful at rousing him, though Twilight suspected that her presence may have done more harm than good, considering what he went through.

"Alex, you have to stop doing this," Twilight said, levitating the untouched food and putting down the fresh breakfast Spike had made. Even if he didn't eat it, she had to let him know that she still was concerned for his health and wellbeing. "I know it's hard, but please talk to us." The human made no move to acknowledge her presence though. Twilight shook her head, disappointed and frustrated, but unable to do much more. She left the human to his thoughts, stepping outside.

"How's he doing," Spike asked, also concerned for what was happening.

"Not good Spike," the Princess of Friendship said, sadness in her tone. She wished she could do more for the human, but he was making it difficult to do so. "I really wish I knew what to do."

Spike nodded. He could understand, in a way. Having been informed of what had happened in the Everfree Forest, Spike had done his best to assist Twilight in solving the mysteries around what had happened. Another close look at the blade Alex cared for revealed nothing special once more. This only confirmed to Twilight that, whatever this sword really was, it was somehow managing to actively hide what its true nature was to her. That, or it seemed to only react in Alex's presence.

Physically, Alex was fine, as far as she or anypony else could tell. Neither the Dark nor Friendship magic had left any kind of damage that she could see. Mentally though, she wasn't sure what might have happened. It might even explain why he was acting this way. But without him cooperating she had no idea or means to test this theory without invading his personal space or privacy. Some lines aren't to be crossed, no matter how pure one's intentions are.

Spike looked back to the door. A part of him wanted to try talking to the human, but he wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't like he knew what words would comfort him. And even still, the experience was something that wasn't easily gotten over. Spike couldn't help but remember a time when he too felt like he didn't deserve his friends' forgiveness.

Suddenly it seemed to click in him. "Twi-," he called, but his mother figure had already left him to his own devices. Well, that was fine either way. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do this alone, but he knew that he had to talk to Alex about this. The human was his friend too after all.

Walking into the room, Alex paid no mind to the young dragon. "Um, hey Alex," Spike said uncertainly. "It's me, Spike. Well, I mean I guess you can tell it's me." Spike walked over to the chair beside Alex's bed and sat down on it. He wasn't sure how to start. In his head, it all sounded perfect and made sense, but he wasn't sure if the words would come to him. Surprisingly it wasn't hard.

"You know how I told you I wasn't like other dragons? Well, I… I don't think I lied, but it's not as simple as that. You see, a long time back before Twilight got this castle, I celebrated my birthday here in Ponyville. It was great! Me and all my friends having lots of fun together. And I got a lot of great presents too." Spike's smile turned forlorn, remembering that. "Maybe that was just the start of all the mistakes though. You see, dragons… well, they don't grow like ponies, in case you didn't know. We get bigger with greed.

"It kind of started small. I was still aware of what I was doing, but I just didn't care. It felt good to get all those presents and I started to want more and more. As I started to get more, I got bigger. And I'm not sure when it happened, but eventually I stopped caring about anything except wanting more stuff. And the more things I got, it never felt like enough. Eventually I got really big and started to smash up Ponyville. Nobody got hurt, at least that's what Twilight told me.

"It was weird though… it felt like it wasn't me, but it was me, you know? Like… like I was watching myself do all this stuff. I felt really bad about it. Everyone forgave me, but it didn't stop it from hurting. I still felt really down about it. Um, so I guess what I'm trying to say is… I understand what you're going through. Really."

Alex continued to lay there, not speaking. For a few moments, Spike felt as if he hadn't gotten to him. As he was about to stand though, a voice stopped him. "So you do know… about the darkness inside." Alex sat up, not looking at Spike, but instead staring at his hand. A sad and forlorn expression was on his face. "It hurts so much… to know just what I am capable of."

"Alex…" Spike shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "You can't beat yourself up about it."

"I know. I've… well, before that, can you bring everyone else here? I need to tell you all something very important. Something I learned while I was out of it." Spike nodded, glad to know that Alex had finally become responsive and left to get Twilight and her friends. In the meantime, Alex thought about what he learned and what he had to tell Twilight. There could be no more secrets between them.

He had to tell them about _him_ … the man called The Interloper.

* * *

"Come now, that can't be all you have." Alex growled, frustrated. He brandished his blade once more, staring down at the man before him. The man who held his conscious mind away from the waking world in his hands. "It's been two days now in that world. At this rate, you will never awaken."

"Shut up!" Alex charged in again, but every swing of his sword was met with hitting only empty air. The man nimbly dodged every attempted strike with an almost bored look on his face. But he was still expectant of something, to which Alex could only guess at what. And if his guess was right, he refused to give that man any satisfaction.

As angry as he was, he refused to let his rage get the better of him. He had to keep the black flames at bay, for however long as possible. The man wanted to see them, wanted to see Alex embrace this new dark power he was given. But he couldn't do it. He absolutely refused to do so. He doubted he could if he tried. Every time he imagined his rage flowing over, the images of Twilight and her friends would appear and stop him in his tracks. The end result being that it left him open to a strike and the whole process would repeat.

The fact that he wouldn't get tired or could be killed was a blessing, marred by the curse that he could still feel pain.

"Do you really think you're doing anyone a favor denying this part of you?" Alex refused to listen to his words. They were all lies as far as he was concerned. "Face it, this power will always be there, waiting to overwhelm you the moment you least expect it. It's connected through your blade." Alex paused for a moment, staring at the sword. He immediately noticed his hesitation and guarded, but the man had not taken advantage of the lapse in defense.

"What about this sword?"

"Perhaps that was too obvious a hint? To put it simply, that sword is the connection between your rage and the dark power within you. As long as you don't wield the sword, you are just an ordinary human." The man waved his finger at him. "To put it another way, the sword manifests your rage as the 'Black Fire' through the dark magic it absorbed. So just let go of the weapon and you'll have nothing to fear."

Alex wasn't certain if this was a trick or not. Even if it was true, could he really abandon the one weapon he had? Could he still afford to be 'ordinary' in a world that so plainly wasn't? He should have thrown the thing away the moment he realized where it had come from. Instead, he clung to it like a lifeline, as if it could really have helped him.

Already he knew the answer. He couldn't throw away the sword. But he couldn't simply give in either.

"How disappointing," the man said, as Alex attacked him anew. "I even took the time to explain it, but you still refuse the calling? Though the fact you have resisted this long is admirable in its own way I suppose." The man suddenly kicked the sword out of Alex's hand to his surprise, before materializing a two-headed axe and slashing at him. Alex failed to dodge in time, causing the axe to slice open the front of his body. The wound instantly healed, but the burning sensation of pain brought him down to his knees. The sword instantly reappeared in his hand once more.

"Why are you so afraid? Do you have that little faith in yourself?" Alex glared at the man. "Come now. Show me; will you master yourself or become a slave to your heart's whims?" The two clashed again, Alex's attacks becoming fiercer and more precise. The anger was flooding through him, but not yet reaching that tipping point.

 _Can I…_ A single strike of a sword, cutting open Alex's throat. _Can I really do it?_ A crushing blow from a mace to the back of his head. _Can I really control it?_ A spear through his chest. _It scares me… how liberating it feels._ A slash opening his back. _Feeling this… I…_

 _I…_

The black flames came to life as he swung, launching their flames at the man. _I am weak…_ The man jumped away, but the fires followed, intent on consuming him. _I hate this weakness…_ Alex could feel it as he had said, the flames being like an extension of his own hatred, guided by his will. The sword in his hands thrummed with power. _Does this make me a monster? A hypocrite?_ _I no longer know._ Right now, he wanted one thing.

 _I suppose… it doesn't matter._

"Burn!" The flames caught up, enveloping the mysterious man's body completely. There were no cries of pain to be hurt, but Alex wasn't focused on that. He lamented the fact that he _liked_ this rush that came with using this power. "Where are you," Alex shouted, watching the fire continue to burn. He wasn't stupid enough to think that would have killed the man.

"You starting to understand a bit?" Alex turned to swing when he heard the voice behind him, but was stopped when the man grabbed his throat and lifted him up, grabbing the blade once more. This time the fires on the blade did not move to consume him. "Well, you certainly impressed me a bit. That deserves a reward." He threw Alex away, smiling at the downed person. "Very soon… that power and you will be put to the test."

"Go to hell," Alex spat out at him. "I refuse to play your stupid game!"

"Is that so… well then, perhaps you'd like to wager it then?" Alex looked at him confused, but the man took his silence for consent to continue. "As I said, you and your power will be put to the test soon. But if you really want to back out of it, then I'll let you. As I told you in the beginning, you don't have to do anything specific. So… if you abandon those natives of Equestria to their fate, I'll bring you back home. What do you say?"

Alex was speechless. A way to go home, if the man was to be believed. And all it would take… was giving up on Twilight and the others. Leaving them be to face something of the unknown. Before Alex could answer, the man continued, "You know, this is really a great deal for you. You should take it."

"Why would you even encourage me to do so," Alex asked confused at the man's willingness to tell him such things. There had to be a catch somewhere.

"Well, just think about it. Suppose that you do manage to get back to your home with the help of those natives. You realize of course, that once you leave there is no coming back to that world again." The man shrugged. "In that instance… why bother trying to be friends with them? At best, they are only disposable tools that you'll never see again once they help you. They will go on, just as you, living their lives. Their fate won't change anymore." The man's smile turned cruel. "As long as you persist to exist in that world, you can carry on your fantasy of caring… but if you choose to accept the truth of your feelings now, well, you get what you want most of all. A chance to go home and be normal again."

Alex grit his teeth, and turned away. Truthfully, he hadn't thought much beyond wanting to go home. He knew of course, that it meant he wouldn't likely to ever see those ponies again. Would it even matter at that point that he was ever friends with them? Granted he was friendly with them now, but could he simply act as if those friendships weren't real or meaningful in the end?

Suddenly, Alex began to laugh. The man watched him for a few moments confused. "I'll admit… you almost had me there. I'm not playing your game. And I'm not taking your deal." His eyes turned fierce once more. "Now get me the hell out of this place."

The man watched for a few more moments before laughing out loud. "Oh you ARE interesting! Somehow, I knew you'd be the one to cure my boredom. Very well, you still need rest for your body, so try not to do anything too strenuous." He turned and began to walk away, but stopped after a few steps. "You know… as I recall, you asked me a certain question when we first met. I couldn't give you an answer then, and I can't give you much of an answer now. But…

"You may call me, The Interloper." He snapped his fingers and Alex felt his body become light before disappearing from the room altogether. The one called the Interloper walked towards the doors that led out of the white room. As he reached for them, they opened, which caused him to pause.

They had opened to let someone in, rather than himself out.

Crossing the threshold was another man, with messy brown hair and wearing a dark green overcoat over a beige shirt and dark pants. A pair of yellow-green tinted visors covered his eyes from being seen. He wore a pair of mismatched gloves, one an icy blue and the other a fiery red. The two stared each other down for a few moments before the Interloper gave a feral smile.

"Well, look who showed up… I never expected to see you here."

The man merely shook his head. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight… this 'person', who you don't really think is a person, kidnaps you, tells you weird stuff about something majorly bad that's about to happen, offers you a chance to go back home if you betray us, and tells you to learn how to control that Dark magic that nearly killed us. Oh, and he called himself the Interloper. That everything?"

"Yes, that's about right."

"You cannot possibly expect us to believe thi-," Rainbow Dash said before being interrupted.

"I believe 'em," Applejack spoke with authority.

"Applejack, dear," Rarity began, trying to not sound insensitive, "while I don't mean to doubt Alex's story, you have to admit it doesn't sound like it can hold any weight to it…"

"No, he's definitely telling the truth," the farm pony said with conviction. "Strange as it may be… well, it's not like we haven't seen some strange stuff ourselves."

"Well, if Applejack says he's telling the truth, then he's telling the truth," Pinkie said, pulling out a cupcake (From where, Alex could not even phantom) and handing it to the human. It had sprinkles on it that were shaped in the letters 'T', 'H', 'R' and 'U' on it.

"Let me guess… a truth cupcake?"

"Yup!"

"The bigger question is, does Princess Celestia know about this," Twilight asked.

"I mentioned it to her at my welcoming party," Alex said, taking a bite of the treat. Despite having eaten his breakfast, he was still rather hungry. "At the time, I didn't know his name… or title in this case. Celestia mentioned something about another being who had similar powers." Everyone in the group looked to one another, thinking the same thing.

Discord.

"Okay, so let's just say you are telling the truth," Rainbow said, still skeptical. "What are you going to do now? I'd rather we don't have to foalsit you all the time in case this Dark magic comes back."

"But the magic is only dangerous if he has his sword right," Fluttershy mentioned. "So, um, if he doesn't have it…"

"Unfortunately, I don't think that's an option." His eyes shifted to Spike, who was watching him with worry. "I need that sword to defend myself…"

"We wouldn't terribly mind keeping you out of danger," Rarity offered. "Considering the circumstances…"

"I agree," Twilight said. "It's too dangerous, and there's still far too little we know about how that sword works, especially with you."

"No. I have to face it." Alex didn't like a lot about this situation, but this he realized was one thing that even the Interloper was correct about. He needed a way to make the black flames obey him without succumbing to the desires and liberation they offered. "I'm just an ordinary human Twilight. I'm not that strong. I'm not that smart. I'm not that fast or can even use magic on my own. Anything I can do, you and your friends have the edge over me, added with the fact that you are all from this world. I may have had a crash course in learning everything, but there is something to be said about living here all your lives against having to learn it all from scratch.

"That sword is the only thing I have going for me." He hated that he had become so dependent on the thing, but he knew that part of learning how to control this power was accepting it. "Even if I go home, that darkness is still going to be inside of me. And if it ever shows up again, I need to be able to control it by myself. Especially if you all can't be there to stop me again."

The girls looked to one another, worried. Especially Twilight. She had yet to share with anypony except Spike that the Dark magic Alex had been infected with was the result of a lingering power that was called the **Nightmare** , a power that had been used by Princess Luna when she was known as Nightmare Moon. It had been why it felt familiar to her, and she couldn't help but wonder if the **Nightmare** was still out there somewhere. She wanted to believe that it was gone for good, but it had survived being purged from Princess Luna once before. It honestly wouldn't surprise her if it was able to stay alive after Alex as well.

"Twilight," Spike said to his mother figure, "Maybe you should just give it back to him…"

"Spike, you don't know how dangerous this is," Twilight said scolding him. "I know we told you about it because you wouldn't stop worrying, but seeing it is-."

"Twilight, I'm a dragon. I… I know what it means to have something dangerous inside you." The ponies looked a bit discomforted at that. It was quite easy to forget that Spike could be something dangerous to others since he was still a baby dragon. Still, all it took was a reminder of the fiasco that was his birthday for them to realize what he meant.

"Alright… but I don't like it," Twilight conceded. She turned to Alex. "Alex, I'd like you to rest a bit more… I'll give back the sword tomorrow, if that's okay."

"Whoa, whoa, you can't seriously expect-," Rainbow started.

"I think," Fluttershy interrupted, "we should let Alex rest for now. He's had a rough time so, we should all head home. I still need to feed all my animal friends after all."

"Fluttershy is right," Rarity agreed. "We are rather glad you'll be okay, Darling. If you need us, please don't hesitate to ask." After coming to an agreement, the six ponies and Spike made to leave.

"Spike, wait. Can I talk to you for a second?" The dragon looked surprised but nodded, letting the others leave, though Twilight lingered for a few moments. When they were alone, Alex got up bracing himself against the bedframe. Lying in bed for so long had made his legs feel stiff. "Spike, I want to thank you. I'm sure it wasn't easy to tell me that tale."

"It's okay, really," he said trying to wave it off. "I mean… it felt really similar to what I went through so I wanted you to know there was someone who could relate."

"Yeah well… listen, I really think you should just tell her your feelings." Spike blushed, wondering how this topic came about. "You helped me with this, so I want to help you in some way too. This seems like the only thing I can do for you." He gave him a pointed look. "I'm sure what happened to you is also something that is holding you back."

"I wouldn't say that," he said, trying to deny it. He knew though that ever since the incident he was actively trying to avoid running into situations that would cause his greed to overtake him once more. "Anyway, I'm fine with how things are, really!"

"Spike, if there is one thing I know that bridges the worlds we live in, it's that something like unrequited love will only hurt those involved," he said seriously. "I know you don't want to face the possibility that she won't like you the same way you like her, but even if that is the case, you need to hear it from her firsthand. I've heard lots of stories of people who let their unspoken feelings overtake them. The regrets made…"

"Can't I just pretend," he said depressed. "It's not hurting anypony. And if she really doesn't like me like that, then…"

"There is nothing wrong with that, in some ways. But can you really watch her go on and live her own life with those feelings bottled up inside forever? That isn't healthy for you." Spike didn't respond, looking down at the ground. "The truth might hurt, but I promise you that knowing the truth would be far better than living a lie."

"I'll… think about it." With that, Spike left the room and Alex to his thoughts. As he was facing the ground, he was unable to see the figure of a pony rounding a corner, and certainly couldn't see the expression on their face from the conversation they overheard.

* * *

 _Chapter 7 End!_

 _Shattered pieces, broken spirits... and in the center of it all, the Interloper watches and waits. A new figure approaches, with a strange connection to the one responsible for setting this chain of events. Is he friend or foe? And what will the 'trial' be that will push Alex and his new dark powers to their limits?_

 _Find out, next time!_

 ** _Arc 1: A Call From Beyond - Complete!_**

 ** _Arc 2: The Light and the Darkness - Begins!_**


	9. Updates and Apologies

To all my current readers.

I must apologize profusely. I know I promised weekly updates of the story and I'm sure many of you are wondering why there has been a lack of them in recent weeks. To be truthfully honest, I have had a severe lack of motivation for writing lately. I can guess why, but I'd rather not go into detail. So to that end, this story is currently going on hiatus.

It really, really hurts me to have to do this. I am not the kind of guy who would ever give up on a story, so for sure this one too will one day be completed. I owe it to all of you to finish what I started, especially the ones who were kind enough to comment and/or fav this story. You really liked what you saw I'm guessing, and I don't like letting you all down. But I don't want people to have to anticipate something that isn't coming, at least for the time being. Hopefully I will be able to get back into the swing of things before the end of the year, which is soon approaching.

For now, I'll be seeing you all sometime in the future. Take care and enjoy fanfiction.


	10. Infinite Possibilties

_**-Kicks door down-**_

 _I'm BACK baby! First of all, I would like to thank everyone for allowing me to indulge in my selfishness and give me a chance to take a break from this story to refresh myself. It was well needed and allowed me to do some other things and get them out of my system. I'd also like to thank **Readerfever** and **thegoldenboss** for their favs even during a time when I wasn't updating. I'm glad you like this story enough to trust I wouldn't give up on it.  
_

 _AND I SHALL NOT GIVE IN! I always make it my mission to finish an idea I get, no matter what. You guys deserve it. I've seen all sorts of ideas abandoned to their fates, some good, some bad, but all deserved to be finished. Yes, even the badly written ones, because you should commit to your ideas. They are your precious plot bunnies, you have to treat them with love and care or at least put them up for adoption._

 _So! With all that said, let's get right back into it! It's a bit short, but I was really hoping just for something to get me back into this rather than some super-long drawn out thing. It's serving its purpose, so ONWARD!_

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 8: Infinite Possibility**_

* * *

"Ok! Roll call! Sweetie Belle?

"Here!"

"Scootaloo?"

"Yup!"

"Alex?"

"Present."

"And me, Apple Bloom! Okay that's everyone. 'Ah hereby call this meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to order!"

Alex sat between two young fillies in a surprisingly large treehouse that resided in Applejack's farm. Applejack herself had asked him to watch over her sister and her friends while she took care of the daily chores around the house, seeing as the fillies had no school today. As far as he knew, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were Rarity and Applejack's sisters respectively. Scootaloo had no siblings, but idolized Rainbow Dash and the mare did see her as something of a younger sister.

Together, the three fillies called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders, with the express goal of finding out what Cutie Marks they would get by trying anything and everything until they found the answer. In many ways, Alex thought, this reminded him of how some humans were, seeking out the answers to their lives by experiencing it as much as possible. Thinking about it made him wonder how life was going back home.

Which brought him to the fact that he was now an 'honorary' member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. While he would never have a Cutie Mark, being a human from another world after all, Sweetie Belle had convinced the other two that the simple fact he couldn't get one didn't automatically exclude him from joining since the main purpose behind the club had been to unite together under the fact that they had no Cutie Marks to call their own yet. In complete honesty, he would have no problems not being included in all this, considering it didn't really apply to him all the same, but he was glad they were willing to involve him in some way. He chalked it up to the fact that people needed to feel accepted by those around them, and not the fact that his latest challenge had him feeling isolated from just about every pony in town.

Really.

Ideas were thrown about between the Crusaders, some having already been tried, others too demanding or beyond their current limits. Alex listened to it all, only half-paying attention to what was said until his name came up. "Maybe Alex has some ideas on what we can do," Scootaloo said.

"Hey yeah," Apple Bloom said with excitement. "You think there is something in your world we could try here? It's worth a shot."

Alex gave it a bit of thought. Truthfully he couldn't think of anything different than what these girls might think of. _Then again,_ he thought to himself, _I forget I need to redefine what is seen as 'normal' here._ Looking around the clubhouse, he set about gathering a few things here and there. The three fillies looked in silence and wonder, as he gathered items before presenting…

"A doll. Egh, so girly," Scootaloo said in distaste.

"A puppet," Alex remedied, holding the doll by its strings. "I remembered seeing one before and I thought it looked neat. Of course, I don't remember exactly how these things work." He moved some strings, causing the puppet's body to move its hooves and torso around in odd ways. "Maybe one of you might have a talent in this?"

The girls decided to take the chance and go with it, at least for now. Once each of them had a puppet, made to resemble them as close as possible, they began to practice. Apple Bloom seemed to have the easiest time of it, though the movements were still very clunky. Sweetie Belle was having a hard time moving the puppet properly, and Scootaloo was simply swinging hers around as if in an attempt to make it 'fly'.

Unfortunately, the orange coated filly lost her balance after a few spins and accidently swung her puppet into crashing with Sweetie's. "Hey Scoots, watch it!" The strings became tangled up as the two tried to pull themselves apart.

"You're doing it wrong! Pull this way!"

"No, you gotta pull THIS way!"

"Hey girls, 'ah think I almost got-." But whatever Apple Bloom was about to say was interrupted as Sweetie gave a particularly strong tug and managed to drag Scootaloo forwards, knocking the two into her. Alex winced as he spied all three of them in a pile, string now wrapped around them, with their puppets perched perfectly on top of them in a line.

"Okay, maybe this was a bad idea…"

After cutting them free, Alex bid them farewell, claiming he had things to do. The fillies waved him goodbye, until Scootaloo began to think. "Hey, what do you think he actually does all day?" The other two thought about it, until they realized they had no clue what Alex did in his spare time. Apple Bloom had seen him around the farm a few times, Scootaloo would hear about Rainbow Dash hanging out with him occasionally, and Sweetie sometimes caught him leaving Rarity's shop one day. And they knew he lived with Twilight at the castle. Other than that…

"Hey, maybe we should follow him," Sweetie Belle suggested. "It couldn't hurt to learn more about humans after all."

"I don't know," Apple Bloom said, having some doubts.

"Come on, what's the harm? Besides, maybe we can get our Cutie Marks as detectives," Scootaloo said.

"Well… 'ah guess that wouldn't be too bad."

"Cutie Mark Detectives, go!"

* * *

Following Alex turned out to be much easier than it seemed. As the only human in a town of ponies, he stood out immediately. Moreover, he was completely focused on wherever it was he was going to bother looking around. However, they hesitated when they saw him enter the Everfree Forest. "Uh, girls, maybe we shouldn't go after him after all," Apple Bloom said.

"But what if he gets in trouble and needs help," Sweetie said.

"But Applejack always said never to go into the forest, especially by ourselves!"

"So, we got three of us," Scootaloo said. "Besides, I'm not afraid of this forest! If Rainbow Dash can go in here, then so can I!" Though she hid her fear behind her bravado well, both her friends could see from her posture that she wasn't too keen on entering the forest. She would brave it, so long as her friends did though.

"Then let's just go see Zecora," Sweetie suggested. "She lives here, so she can help us, right?"

"Well, if it's Zecora…" Apple Bloom had placed a lot of trust in the zebra before and she had not let her down yet. Plus being with her meant she would have adult supervision, and that would be good enough for her sister, right? "Let's give it a shot."

And so the three took to the path, making sure to keep an eye out for any dangers. It was still the middle of the day, so many of the creatures of the forest wouldn't be likely to enter the open area the girls were walking. Still, a few would likely be watching them, hoping to catch the fillies off guard.

As they spotted the hut where Zecora lived, they noticed Alex leaving it, holding a bottle filled with a lavender liquid. The two spoke to one another for a few brief moments, before Alex took off the beaten path and into the forest proper. Apple Bloom ran up to the door to the hut and knocked on it.

The zebra who opened the door looked much like a typical zebra would with black and white striped patterned fur and a tribal marking on their flank. Her mane was styled in a Mohawk design and she wore large golden earrings. "Well, well, hello to you dear Apple Bloom, is there something I can help you this fine afternoon?"

"Howdy Zecora," the young filly said smiling. "We were wondering what Alex was doing here by himself. We're trying to become Cutie Mark Detectives!"

"Ah yes, the human did want me to assist. He had a problem that truly persists. He sought something to give him peace, a potion to ensure his power would cease." The fillies looked confused for a moment before Zecora explained, "Alex contains a magic most dark. Controlling it is no easy walk in the park."

"Dark magic," Sweetie asked curiously. "No way! Wouldn't Twilight know about it if he did have that kind of magic?"

"Alas my children, I should not say any more. It's not a tale that should be told at my door. Now it's best you all be going home. For this forest is not someplace to carelessly roam." With that, the three fillies were back to square one.

"What now," Sweetie asked, a bit disappointed. "We don't know where Alex went…"

"We can't just give up now," Scootaloo said determined. "I mean, we didn't even learn anything about him yet."

"But we can't just go into the forest to find him…"

"But what if he's in danger too?"

"I'm sure Alex can take care of himself though. He's bigger than all of us put together!"

"But even your sister doesn't go into the Everfree Forest by herself!" To that there was no argument. "Come on, you're with me on this, right Sweetie? He's an unofficial member of our club, and we gotta stick together!"

"Oh… sometimes I really hate being right," Sweetie bemoaned. But it was true, Alex was a part of their club and thus he deserved to have the CMC looking out for his best interests and being there for him when needed. "Alright I'm in."

"Then I guess I'm in too," Apple Bloom said. "Let's get going girls!" Determined once more, the group set out to find the human again. This time though, they were having much more trouble as he had a bit of a head start and there was no sign on him on the path. Moreover it would be dark in a few hours and the dangers of the forest would multiply tenfold in the cover of night. They would have to give up the search and find one of the grown-ups and tell them about Alex being in the forest at night.

Before they could even plan that far ahead, there was a growling noise behind them which caused them all to halt and turn around slowly. On the path behind them, a large lion-like beast with sharp fangs and horns was staring them down, its long tongue licking its lips in anticipation. Behind it, a tail in the form of a snake hissed at them, taking in the scent of their prey. The girls were momentarily paralyzed with fear, not expecting something so big had managed to sneak up on them so quickly.

Finally Sweetie managed to shout, "Manticore! Run!"

The trance-like spell of fear that pinned them down was broken as the fillies began to run for their lives. The Manticore let out a large roar and began to chase them down, unwilling to let such an easy meal get away. Adrenaline helped push the fillies to new speeds, but it would only last for so long, and none of them would be able to fight off the beast, even if they worked together. Even knowing they couldn't outrun it forever, they were scared to leave the barely visible path to try and lose it in the trees without the even more dangerous risk of getting lost themselves. Moreover the beast was chasing them further into the forest itself, away from home and safety.

One of them tripped, falling to the floor.

"Apple Bloom," came the concerned and panicked voices of her friends. The Manticore lunged at the fallen filly, intent on making her a snack. But before it could trap her in its jaws, black flames shot out of the ground to form a wall between them. The beast was surprised and stopped itself just in time to avoid colliding with the flames. Then a cold voice spoke.

" **Leave. Before I decide to incinerate you."** Alex stood behind the Manticore, blade held up. The black flames surrounded the sword, as he glared at the creature before him. He was radiating malicious intent, and everything around him could feel it. The beast stared down the human, but Alex did not flinch or break eye contact. It was enough to make the creature back off and head into the woods, unwilling to deal with what was clearly more trouble than it was worth.

"A-Alex," Sweetie said fearfully. She couldn't help it, the flames had yet to die down and he still held a fierce look on his face. Alex closed his eyes, which the girls realized were not his normal color but instead had been red, and took a deep breath, letting go of his sword and allowing it to fall to the ground. The flames dispersed and malicious aura faded. When he opened his eyes again, they were normal once more. "Alex?"

"Are you three… okay?" He sounded tired, picking up his weapon and putting it away. "You three shouldn't be here you know… I don't need Rainbow Dash and your sisters on my case."

"Never mind that, why were you here," Scootaloo asked. Alex motioned for them to follow him, to which they started making their way out of the forest.

"I came here to help me train my power. It's dangerous and this forest is really the only place I can go without risking hurting anyone."

"So… you really do have a dark power," Sweetie asked, somewhat fearful.

"Yeah… not that I ever wanted this power though. But since I have it, I have a responsibility to make sure it doesn't hurt anyone."

"Then, what was that potion you got from Zecora," Apple Bloom asked.

"Ah… it's just something that allows me to keep my wits about me. Otherwise I would just mindlessly start setting everything on fire." They passed by Zecora's hut, meaning they were getting closer to the edge of the forest.

"Hey, Alex," Apple Bloom began, somewhat unsure. "Do you think… we might get Cutie Marks we won't like?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well… you have that dark power. And you said you didn't want it. So maybe…"

"Don't be ridiculous," Alex said. "I don't know much about Cutie Marks… but I do know they are a part of who you are. This dark magic of mine isn't the same thing. It wasn't something I was looking for, just forced on me. Don't worry too much about it. Keep trying, keep striving. You'll get there, eventually."

"Well, so much for being detectives then…"

"Oh and… well, perhaps it would be best not to tell the others about what happened in the forest…"

"We promise!"

* * *

 _Chapter 8 End!_

 _A Cutie Mark... The path to oneself is long and dangerous, and sometimes there seems to be no end in sight. But seeking that part of oneself that makes you whole is worth everything you put time into doing. With reassurance to both Alex and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, will Alex continue to find the strength to follow his path to the end?_

 _Tune in next week for more, Interlocking Stories!_


	11. Outside Looking In

_A/N: Oh god, it feels so good to be back to uploading these. I'd like to thank **mlp brony fifer** for the fav and welcome him to the fold. Each new fav means a lot to me and you guys keep making my week. That said, I have been really looking forwards to uploading this chapter. Big reveals for all of you who have come this far with me. But this story isn't nearly over yet, so let's get a move on! _

* * *

_**My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 9: Outside Looking In**_

* * *

If one were to be watching Princess Celestia at this very moment, they would think that something good had happened recently. And to no one's surprise, they would be correct. Celestia walked to her chambers with a bit of spring in her step. Floating just behind her was a scroll, detailing the effects of the spell that she had been looking for to help the human go home. She herself had been pleasantly surprised at finding it so quickly. She had believed it would have taken months from now to discover its whereabouts.

 _It's good we are making progress in this situation,_ she thought to herself, especially considering what Twilight had recently wrote to her concerning the human's journey into the Everfree Forest. Though concerned, she was certain that Twilight would be able to help keep Alex from rampaging with his new power. And with this task now complete, they were one step closer to bringing him home and hopefully averting disaster.

Reaching her chambers, she was surprised to see the pair of Royal Guards that stood outside her doors were fast asleep on their hooves. Celestia politely cleared her throat to get their attention. She wouldn't reprimand them too hard, and they would more than likely punish themselves in some over-the-top way of their own violation, even if it wasn't necessary.

The guards, however, did not awaken.

Celestia looked confused for a moment before directing her attention to her still closed door and glaring at it. Something was wrong, something deep within her knew that, but what it was she did not know. Steeling herself for anything that could happen, Celestia opened the door to her room. Inside was unchanged as far as she could tell. Everything appeared to be in its rightful place. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

This didn't placate her. She stepped in, her horn still glowing as she waited. What she was waiting for, even she did not know. But something was coming, and she could feel it, knowing she needed to be ready.

"Celestia, Princess of the Sun…"

Celestia turned, her horn glowing brighter as she was on the verge of a casting a powerful spell. The sound of her door closing didn't take away from her observation of the one who had appeared before her. He was human, with shaggy brown hair and wearing an overcoat over his clothing. A yellow-green tinted visor covered his eyes, yet she could tell that he was staring at her. But none of this seemed to matter to her, due to something else that was bothering her about him.

It was the fact that, even though she was staring directly at him, she couldn't sense him with her magic. The space where he was standing was nothing more than a blank spot to her magical sense, which immediately explained why she didn't notice him upon entering her room. His presence also sent a chill through her being, though she didn't know why. It wasn't that he was radiating any kind of power, but the sense of unease would not leave her. Everything about him screamed 'unnatural' but she was unsure why.

Still, she needed answers and she had to start somewhere. "Who are you?"

He didn't answer her, at least not right away. Instead, he did something she did not expect. He bowed before her. "My apologies. But I would like for you to gather your sister here before I answer any questions. I would prefer that she not interrupt accidentally and I be forced to answer questions more than once." Celestia was a bit off-put at his rather polite speech to her. Still, it could be a ploy to catch her off guard. She sent a telepathic message to her sister, and awaited her to join them.

She didn't have to wait long. Luna came in through her window, gliding elegantly through the opening. "We have heard your call, sister, what is-," she began, but stopped at seeing the mysterious man. "Intruder!"

"Luna, wait," Celestia warned, but Luna's spell was already shot at the man. He made no move to dodge the attempted blast, but rather something else happened. The moment the spell reached a few inches away from impacting him, it disappeared completely. Both Alicorn sisters were surprised at seeing this.

"Well, it's good to know that my Magic Jammer is working fine in this world too," he said, causing Celestia to stiffen.

"You! Are you the one responsible for bringing Alex here," Celestia questioned.

"One question at a time," the man said. He walked to a large cushion and took a seat, waving his hand to indicate the two sisters should do the same. Celestia and Luna shared a look, silently communicating through their thoughts about what to do. Seeing no other alternative, especially considering their magic seemed to have no effect on the one that sat before them, they settled themselves, though were still tense.

"I believe you asked me for my name… unfortunately, I cannot exactly give you one, since I do not have a name. At least, not a formal one. So let's just say you can call me… the Observer." The Observer carefully watched the two of them, his face kept blank. "I am sure you have many questions about me… who I am, why I am here… but let me say this first and foremost. I am not your enemy. In fact, I wish to help you both with what limited help I can provide."

The two sisters were shocked to say the least, but years of royal duties allowed them to hide it with ease. "You claim to be an ally," Luna said, eyes narrowed in suspicion at him, "but you sneak into our castle and break into my sister's room?"

"If you are trying to tell me that if some mysterious being were to approach your guards and ask for an audience with you, that I would be welcomed, then you have far more faith in your guards than I ever will." Celestia could concede that point to him. It was more likely he would be detained, or at the very least, turned away. "But arguing this is a pointless endeavor."

"Then what is it you have to say to us," Celestia asked. "Clearly you felt it important enough that you would resort to such measures to seek us out."

"Indeed," the Observer said. "What I have to tell you is the absolute truth. Whether or not you believe me is another matter entirely, but I request that you at the very least, hear me out. What you make of it, what you plan to do with me afterwards, matters nothing to me. If you wish not to associate with me, then I will, of course, heed your request. I am already risking much to talk to you now." The two sisters looked at one another for a moment before nodded at him. "In that case…

"To begin with, I must explain something about myself." He reached for the red glove on his hand before pulling it off. Celestia and Luna could not stop the gasp of surprise at seeing what lay underneath. It was a hand, but only in looks alone. While Celestia had seen Alex's hands and so knew what they looked like, these hands were made entirely out of metal. The Observer flexed each finger carefully, metal and wires moving in several degrees of motion before he replaced the glove. "As you can see, I am not exactly what you would call a 'human', merely human-shaped. In fact, I am not exactly what you would call a 'living thing' either."

"What _**are**_ you," Luna asked, unbelieving what she saw. Celestia was too speechless to even phantom asking anything, though she continued to stare at the covered up hand.

"A… very, very complicated machine. To simplify things, I was created with the sole intent of observing the various worlds that exist. I am not the only one of my kind to exist though. Hundreds of thousands of copies of me are also out there, in the infinite worlds, also observing for our Creator. Like my brethren, I was granted the capacity to learn and adapt in order to better complete my objectives. But that is neither here or there, so I shall continue."

"Wait," Celestia said, a bit freaked out by his revelation. "You mean to tell me you have been watching us? For how long?"

"I am not allowed to disclose that," the Observer said. "Worry not though. What our Creator values most is knowledge. However, there is only so much a single being can learn in a lifetime, thus our purpose. But we are getting a bit off-topic here.

"Part of the reason I look this way is so that I may sometimes enter a world and observe it from the focal point of a resident of that world. It was during this time on a world when something happened. Something, unnatural." The way he spoke of the event immediately got the two sisters' attention. "A rip in the dimensions… someone had forcibly opened a pathway into the world I was observing and began a takeover.

"He commanded a great number of strange and powerful creatures to his bidding, as he sought to control the world he had appeared in by force. At the time, I knew nothing about him… who he was, where he had come from, and what his intentions actually were. I had no choice but to abandon that world to its fate. But I resolved to find out everything I could about him. And as it turned out, I discovered quite a bit.

"For one, he calls himself Deimos, the Conqueror. He is apparently part of a race of beings that has a very long lifespan, and is also under the delusion that all worlds are meant to be controlled by him and him alone. Unfortunately, I have not been able to discover where his original world that he came from is, or how he managed to find the power to cross into others worlds as he liked. But he is a great threat to all worlds, and must be stopped."

Both Celestia and Luna could feel the gravity of the situation. While Equestria was no stranger to beings that wanted to take it over, a creature like the one the Observer described was quite another thing entirely. Though it did beg a question… "So, what does this have to do with Alex," Celestia asked. "Is he meant to help us?"

The Observer was silent for a long while. His face betrayed nothing of what he was thinking and for a moment Celestia thought to ask him again when he spoke. "I am… unsure. I suppose it is possible."

"What do you mean," Luna asked, concerned.

"Well… you see, I am somewhat to blame for his arrival here. After I learned what I could about the one called Deimos, I sought a means to stop him. Of course, there was very little I could do. But during my search, I happened across a strange dimension. A world, composed entirely of a single white room, with one thing inside of it." Celestia's eyes widened in surprise. "A single… 'Being' a guess would be the word. Honestly, even now I'm not sure what to call it. It looked human, but the power that came from it clearly wasn't.

"He claimed to go by many names, but to call him simply the Interloper. He told me he created that dimension and held complete control within it. I never once have encountered anything like it. But… I had a feeling he was the one I needed. The one who could defeat Deimos. And so, I explained everything to him. He told me he could help, but only under one condition. That he was to have free reign on how he helped me."

Celestia could make a fairly accurate guess of what happened from there. This other being, the Chaos being that called itself the Interloper, then proceeded to kidnap Alex and send him to Equestria. Did it mean he had indeed some role to play? It seemed likely that this Deimos would one day be arriving to their world and bringing with him a force unlike any they had yet to face. Was Alex meant to even the odds against them somehow? The human had been as ordinary as they came, but he had recently gained a new power…

But something still wasn't adding up. Given what little she knew about the Interloper, Celestia was fairly certain that he possessed quite a bit of power. Power enough that even Discord had opted to not involve himself in whatever was to happen. Was something stopping him from being able to do anything against Deimos? It didn't seem likely.

"You know," the Observer said, breaking her thoughts, "if I had only known what I was getting myself into, perhaps I would have never considered speaking to it. But all he cares about is playing his twisted little game."

"What do you mean," Celestia asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"All this… Alex, this world, you… to him all of it is just one big game. He could easily go out and just find Deimos, but he would rather have you all jump through hoops for his own amusement."

"We will not tolerate this," Luna yelled, standing up. "We are not some toy to be used and discarded for another's amusement!"

"Luna, please calm down."

"Do not tell us to calm down, Sister! Our subjects' lives are hanging in the balance!"

"No," Celestia said with clarity. She now knew, exactly, just why Discord was letting this happen. Discord was perhaps, the only one who could potentially challenge the Interloper and keep him from doing whatever he pleased. Which meant that for this to be happening, Discord had struck a deal with him. No pony would be hurt, not because it was what Discord would want, but it was because it was something that Fluttershy would want. Discord had thought about what would make Fluttershy happy and thus had managed to protect everyone.

Though it was only a theory, she was rather proud of the Spirit of Disharmony at that moment.

"While it is disconcerting along with everything you have told us, I believe we can settle this for now. I will have some faith in my student and the human." Celestia stared down the Observer, who looked back passively. "That said… you have yet to tell us just how you will provide any help to our situation."

"Yes… well, the help I can provide is rather limited. As I told you, I am meant only to observe, not interfere. Even speaking to you about this can be considering going against what my orders are. If this is discovered, then you may very well be seeing the last of me. But I believe that the risk is worth it. I will continue to observe what movements Deimos may make as well as limit what he can do."

"Truthfully, that does not seem like much," Luna said, expressing her concerns.

"And yet, the fact that we have just one more ally on our side makes a greater difference than one can imagine," Celestia said. "We will be glad to accept this help."

"Very well," the Observer said, standing up. "It would be prudent to pass on the major topics we have covered to the human and well as your confidents. They should stay informed of what progress is being made. And, there is one more thing…"

* * *

"…As such, we will continue to pass along anything new we learn. Best wishes, Princess Celestia. Wow… that's a lot to take in," Twilight said, putting down the letter as Spike took it from her. She took up the second item that was sent to her, the scroll that held the spell that would allow inter-dimensional travel, and unfolded it, looking over the contents. Even from just this first glance, Twilight knew this spell wouldn't be easy to learn. But the depths of what she had to do…

"Well, I suppose compared to everything else that's been happening, this is the best news we've gotten," Alex said. Finally, it seemed, something was going right in this crazy situation. Someone who actually cared about his well-being and a chance to head home. It was far more than he could have asked for.

"Hey wait, there's more on the back," Spike said. "Let's see… 'Light and Dark are abstracts. It is what we do with that power that determines who we are. Believe in yourself, no matter what.' Huh… this… doesn't look like the Princesses wrote this."

"Let me see," Twilight said, floating the letter up to her. "You're right, this handwriting is definitely not Princess Celestia's or Princess Luna's. Maybe it's from this Observer?"

"I guess even he is counting on me to master this power. Well, if I didn't have much choice before, I sure don't now," Alex sighed. "Although… I really doubt that this Deimos was the reason the Interloper brought me here. Seems more like some convenient excuse to try and justify his actions. Still, I'll help you fight him off. It's the least I can do."

"Are you sure? This doesn't sound like an easy enemy we have to fight… and you have been put into this situation against your will. I wouldn't blame you if you decided you didn't want to get involved anymore. This isn't even your world."

"Thanks for the offer Twilight. But so long as I have the power to help and I'm here anyway, I feel like I should. Maybe after all this is over we'll find some way to get me back home. I suppose we can put off having you learn that spell for now."

"Are you kidding? That this spell exists at all is more than worth a look over," Twilight said, excited at the prospect of learning such advanced magic. "Don't worry, I'll definitely learn this. At the very least maybe in time to see you out of here safely."

Alex nodded, glad to have her support. He could admit this world had grown on him in the course of being here. But he still yearned for his old home, his old life, as far away a dream as that seemed to be. As much as he liked this world, he could not trade his original one for it. And at the very least, Twilight could understand this. Canterlot High was a wonderful place for her to visit, but Equestria would always be the home she would return to.

"Well, this is all great… but our dinner is cold now."

"Ah! I totally forgot… Spike, re-heat!"

"On it!"

* * *

 _I'm sorry I lied to you, Celestia…_

"Explain yourself."

"Oh, so testy aren't you? Sit down and have a drink."

"I'll stand. And you know that I don't eat or drink, so no offering me cake either." The Observer and the Interloper were within the White Room, the latter sitting in a chair with the former gazing at him through his visor. "Why are you involving innocents?"

"I told you I would be doing this my way. And I wanted to see just how far he would go," the Interloper said, giving a shrug. "It's interesting seeing how lives that wouldn't otherwise be aware of each other's existence, react when they collide head first."

"And yet Deimos continues to act unobstructed. And his continued existence undermines my efforts in what I have sought out to do." The Observer shook his head. "I cannot, in good conscience, allow this to continue."

At this, the Interloper laughed mockingly. He gazed to his guest with a predatory grin and spoke condescendingly, "Conscience!? As advanced as you are, you are still just a machine. You don't have a conscience. In fact, you don't even care at all about what fate befalls the worlds. All that matters to you is your own ends and eliminating anything that gets in the way of them. That's why you originally called on me, right? You just don't want to get your own hands dirty."

 _I… cannot feel caring. My reasons are… selfish._

"And yet, you would pass off this responsibility to another yourself. Can this Alex even defeat Deimos and his army?"

"How would I know," the Interloper said, shrugging. "If he can, he can. If he doesn't… well, so much the worse for him." He grinned again. "Though he recently got himself an upgrade, so his chances are looking better than before."

"So you would allow yet another world to fall prey to Deimos? You realize that the point of me asking you to do this is to prevent such things."

"Oh relax," the Interloper said dismissively. "Part of the reason I can even enact my little scheme is because of the deal I made. To be honest, I sincerely doubt that creature who tethered himself to that world, Discord, would be able to stop me."

"And yet…"

"Hmph. That he has the power to do so doesn't mean he has the will to use it. Still, an ounce of prevention."

"Regardless, this game of yours has gone on long enough. I will not allow it to progress in this manner any further."

"Oh? And just what do you plan to do to stop me?"

 _However… I thank you for your trust in me._

"Nothing." The Interloper looked surprised at this admission. "I cannot stop your plan from coming to fruition, whatever it may ultimately be. But that doesn't mean it will go exactly the way you want it." His hands reached up, gripping at his visors. "You are right about one thing… As a machine, I cannot feel anything. As much as I can emulate those emotions, they are forever locked away from me. I have lost the ability to express them long, long ago. Much like you have."

He removed his visors, and the Interloper was surprised to see just how full of life the Observer's eyes were. They shone blue, and looked nothing like the cold machine-like quality his expression seemed to suggest. "But… just like you, I'm sure… I have not forgotten what those feelings used to be like. Though I strive to perfect this body of mine, I have always resolutely ensured that some piece of me will continue to live on in each new 'version' of me."

"You are…"

"Just an Observer," he said, returning the visor to cover his eyes, adopting that cold aura once more. "Nothing more… nothing less." He turned and began to walk away. "From now on, your little solo campaign is over. I believe it's time we introduced a new player into this game, don't you think?" With that, he opened the doors to the room and stepped out into the abyss.

 _And I promise, I won't let you down…_

The Interloper looked towards the door, processing everything he was told. It wasn't long before he started to laugh. "Damn… so, looks like you managed to get one over on me… just how many millennia has it been since someone was able to do that?" He snapped his fingers and banished the chair he was sitting in, leaving the room bare once more. "Well, I suppose I can let him do as pleases for now. Before, everything was so precisely calculated, but now with so many more variables in the mix, who knows what will happen. I'm getting excited just thinking of it all!"

 _Besides,_ he thought with a sinister grin on his face, _in the end, I'll still be the one who gets what I want. Nothing they can do will change that. So keep going, my little toys…_

 _ **EnteRTain mE MorE!**_

* * *

 _Chapter 9 End!  
_

 _The Interloper, the Observer, the Conqueror... these are the Outsiders, who's selfish whims alter the fate of worlds. Through their actions, what will be the final fate for Alex and Equestria? And can such a fate be altered?_

 _Find out, next time!_


	12. Showdown at the Appleloosa Corral

_First and foremost, big thanks to **Zarall** , **Kittensoft** , and **darkshadowpuffs** for joining the ranks of the favs. Make them feel welcome. Drinks and brownies are on the table to your right. Note, YOUR right, not MY right.  
_

 _That said, it's time for us to head to THE ENDGA- ***ring, ring*** Oh sorry, that's my phone... Hello? ...Speaking. Wait what? What do you mean I can't just go straight to the big ending? Filler episodes? This is a FANFICTION, not a damned anime! Contract? ... **YOU. WOULDN'T. DARE.** Fine..._

 _Ok, so yeah... more interactions with Alex and the ponies. Cause, character building I guess? Don't ask me, blame the plot bunnies in my mind..._

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 10: Showdown at the Appleloosa Corral**_

* * *

"You know, you really didn't have to come with me for this."

"I don't know what you are talking about. But it's a good opportunity for me, and we are friends, right? Least I can do is show some moral support while I'm there."

Alex and Applejack were currently riding on a train, bound for the small town of Appleloosa. The day had begun innocently enough when Applejack had received a letter from her cousin Braeburn, who ran the apple farm in Appleloosa, asking her to come down and help them with an 'incident'. The letter didn't hold many details, but Applejack had informed her family about going. Though her friends had mostly wanted to come help, with a few of them unable to due to prior engagements, Applejack insisted on this being an 'Apple Family Problem' and politely declined, though appreciated their concern.

Thus she was surprised to find herself sharing a car with the human.

After the initial accusation, Alex explained that he merely wanted to see more of the world he was in and had overheard her mention this place called Appleloosa a few times and oh look what a coincidence that they happened to pick the same time to go? And while Applejack was grateful for his support, she had hoped he wouldn't try anything while there. This wasn't his problem and it would be unfair to drag him into it.

Once at the station, the two departed only to be greeted by another pony with a yellow coat, wearing a brown vest and cowboy hat. "Cousin Applejack! So glad you could make it. Uh, who's that?" The pony pointed to Alex with a hint of suspicion and curiosity. Personally, Applejack was glad he didn't react in panic.

"Howdy yourself. Braeburn, meet Alex," she said, introducing him. "He's a friend who's been helping out at the farm a bit these last few months. Alex, this is my cousin Braeburn." Braeburn inspected Alex for a few moments, while the human only gave an awkward smile. After a minute, Braeburn smiled back.

"Well, howdy there! A friend of Applejack's and a hard worker to boot, is a friend of the Apple Family. Let's me be the first to welcome you to AAAAAAAppleloosa!"

"Um, is he always like this?"

"Kind of?"

"I'd love to give you all a tour of the place, but we got a major problem on our hooves." Applejack became concerned. Normally, Braeburn was rather proud of what the town had to offer and wouldn't hesitate to show it off. The problem must have been serious. "Follow me."

Applejack did as asked, though she seemed discomforted that Alex was following as well. Alex didn't notice her discomfort however, as he was trying not to be bothered by the number of stares he was getting as they walked through town. It was a bit unsettling for him, considering that he had not received such looks at all in Ponyville. It was a change of pace to what he experienced so far.

It just was rather unfortunate that it wasn't a very desirable one.

Eventually they reached their destination, Appleloosa's apple orchard. Applejack looked about, not exactly seeing what was wrong. "Well, here we are," Braeburn said.

"Ah don't get it," Applejack said, confused. "Just what exactly is the problem?"

Before Braeburn could speak though, Alex made his own comment. "Hey Applejack, do these trees seem weird to you?" Applejack looked up at them and tried to puzzle out what Alex meant. It took a moment, before she could see what was so different about them. While some trees seemed to have a bounty of apples on them, others were rather barren and looked like they didn't yield much fruit at all. And while she could chalk it up to being a bad tree, they all looked equally healthy.

"Well, I wouldn't say it's the trees. Somepony has been stealing our apples!"

"WHAT," Applejack shouted, affronted. "What kind of varmint would do such a thing?"

"Well, that's where we're just plain stumped. The only hoofprints we can find belong to either us ponyfolk or the buffalo. And even though Sheriff Silverstar and I don't think so, a lot of the ponies in town are starting to suspect the buffalo did it."

"But that don't make a lick of sense."

"Um, buffalo," Alex inquired.

"Oh right. Well, a bunch of the townsfolk here got into a bit of an argument with the local buffalo tribe about the apple orchard. Course, Twi and the others helped me and Braeburn clear up the… misunderstanding," Applejack said, not wanting to go into detail about the fighting that had broken out.

"And Chief Thunderhooves ain't the kind of buffalo that would go back on his word," Braeburn said. "But we don't have any other clues who could have done it."

"Well, don't you worry one bit Braeburn," Applejack said putting a reassuring hoof on his shoulder. "Whoever is doing it, we'll be sure to catch them red-hoofed."

"Thanks cousin, I knew I could count on you."

With that, the two ponies decided to hold a stakeout that night, in hopes of catching whoever it was that was stealing the apples. When the sun set and the stars came out, Applejack and Braeburn headed out to keep a watch for any suspicious characters roaming about. Whoever had been stealing the apples had to be doing so under the cover of night, when nopony was out and about to see them.

Though dark, Applejack had little trouble seeing the area she elected to guard. She could only hope that her vigilance would pay off in the end. As she walked around, keeping her senses peeled for anything out of the ordinary, she heard a grunting sound and something hitting bark. Rushing to where the noises were coming from, she gazed upon a large figure that was suspiciously buffalo shaped, standing over a wooden tub filled with apples.

"Hold it right there!" The figure jumped, being startled and ran off, with Applejack hot on its heels. Despite its size, it was moving a lot faster than she would have thought it could, and was quickly reaching the edge of the orchard. Not that it would stop her, but she was only mildly worried about having to run in the open desert.

Both were surprised, then, when a massive wall of black fire cut across the buffalo's path, stopping it completely in its tracks. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Applejack readied her lasso and caught the buffalo around its body. The next surprise was the fact that it compressed to almost half its size as she tugged the rope tight around it. Before she could resolve the mystery though, she shouted out, "Alex, come out!"

"Hey there Applejack," Alex said, revealing himself as the flames died down. From a distance, they could see Braeburn running up to meet them. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Fancy nothing. Why are you here? I definitely remember not telling you about being out here."

"Meddling, I guess," Alex said with a shrug. "Though right now, I think you have more important things to be worrying about." Applejack frowned, but knew he was right. She had a thief to interrogate. Looking closer at her captive, it was clear they were wearing a costume of some sort. Reaching for the now obvious looking fake buffalo head, she pulled it away to reveal a lizard-like face looking at her with a tense loathing. She noticed the scales were a light tan color and looked much drier and rougher than the ones found on Spike. Two horn like protrusions could be seen on top of its head.

"Alright, talk whoever you are. Why are you stealing our apples?"

"Bah! I ain't talking, no way no how," he said, trying to shake himself free.

"Well, we caught ourselves the thief. Now we know the buffalo aren't responsible and everything can go back to normal, right," Braeburn asked.

"Not just yet," Alex said, drawing his sword. He pointed it to the lizard and ignited the blade, drawing looks of surprise, and in the lizard's case, fear, from the others. "This doesn't sound like something he pulled off alone. Now, tell us who sent you, and maybe I won't have a nice new pair of lizard skin boots in the morning."

"Ok, ok! Just put that thing away already," he said panicked. Alex pulled it away, but didn't return it to its sheath or put out the fire. "Look, the boss only told me to put on the buffalo costume and steal apples! I don't know any more than that, I swear!"

"And where exactly is this 'boss' of yours," Applejack asked.

"In a cave in the desert! Along with the rest of our gang," he said panicking even more. "I'm not lying, I swear!"

"I know that," Applejack said, as Alex lifted the lizard up. Though taller than the ponies, even if only slightly, it was still short compared to the human. Looking down, Alex saw that its scaly feet were strapped to a metal plate made to look like a buffalo's hoof. "Looks like we got a much bigger problem on our hooves."

"In the meantime, we got a nice, comfortable jail cell for you," Braeburn said. Taking the rope that was holding the lizard down, Braeburn began to drag him to Appleloosa proper, where the sheriff would be able to hold him.

"Well, I suppose there ain't no convincing you to back off."

"Sorry, but no. Although I will say I am confused. I could probably understand why you wouldn't want me to get involved, but why not your friends? I'm sure they would have loved to have the chance to help you out if you asked."

"I know that," Applejack said, "but… well, you ever get the feeling that sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do? And you feel like only you can do it? I trust Twi and the others with my life and my livelihood, but something inside me is saying I should do this one on my own. It's… kind of a weird feeling, you know?"

Alex only nodded. He knew that feeling all too well.

* * *

The early morning found Alex, Applejack and Braeburn traveling through the desert, in search of the cave the lizard had mentioned. The two ponies talked a bit among themselves, while Alex stayed back and kept silent. A few hours into their trip, they spotted a large plateau jutting out in the middle of the sands. Seeing as it was the only landmark to be found since their journey's start, the group headed there to rest. Once they got closer, they discovered the cave that lead into it.

"This must be it."

"Alright, careful ya'll," Applejack said, leading the way in. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a small lantern and headed deeper in.

Not too far in, they could see lights. Putting out their own light source, they crept quietly towards the end of the passageway that lead to a large open space. A few tables and chairs had been set up in the room and off to one side were sacks that held the stolen apples. Across the room was a wooden door, and four more lizards, wearing boots and neckerchiefs, were hanging around.

"Hey, shouldn't Clyde have been back by now," one of the lizards asked.

"You know him, lazy bones don't want to make any kind of effort," another said.

"Let him take his time," a third one said, distain in his voice. "I'm getting sick of these apples."

"Hey, they aren't that bad," the first one said, heading to one of the sacks and taking an apple from it, biting down into the fruit greedily. "'Sides, we need these to enact the boss's plan."

"That's right," the fourth lizard said. "Steal the apples, and blame it on the buffalo! Then when those stupid ponies and buffalo are too busy fighting one another, we swoop in and steal everything in that pathetic little town that isn't nailed down. The boss's plan is perfect!"

"Those low-down outlaws," Braeburn said angrily.

"Well, we ain't gonna let them get away with it," Applejack said. "Come on!" The three charged into the room, Applejack and Braeburn with lassos ready while Alex withdrew his blade. "Hold it right there!"

"Wha!?" The lizards in the room were startled at their appearance. "How the heck did you get in here?"

"I think you have bigger things to worry about," Alex said. "We caught your little friend, and the whole town by now knows it wasn't the buffalo who were stealing the apples. Sorry, but your plan is ruined."

"Aw dang nabbit! That bumbling fool Clyde!"

"You might as well give yourselves up," Braeburn said.

"I reckon I have a better idea." Alex cried out in pain as something struck his back, knocking him to the ground and causing him to drop his sword. From behind them was another lizard, who wore the same outfits as the others, but with a cowboy hat on his head and a whip in his scaly claws. "Get 'em boys!"

The lizard struck his whip at Applejack, to which she dodged the strike. A quick gaze at Alex revealed that the whip had struck hard enough to rip apart the back of his shirt and cause him to bleed. With their leader occupying Applejack, the four were easily able to overpower and tie up Braeburn, before surrounding her. Despite her attempts though, she couldn't evade their continuous attempts, and eventually she too was captured and tied down.

"Well, ain't this a surprise. I know the pony folk, but what in the wide world are you supposed to be," the head lizard asked Alex. The human only gave a defiant glare, unable to free himself from the ropes binding him. "Well, I suppose it don't matter much anyway."

"Forget it," Applejack said. "Your plan has already been exposed. Ain't no way you'll be stealing anything from Appleloosa!"

"Now, see, that? That is the difference between me and you. A good leader always has a Plan B, just in case." The lizard crossed his arms, before giving them a dark grin. "See, I may have lost the chance to ransack that little settlement of yours. But I'm sure they wouldn't mind parting with some valuables if it meant they would get back some… hostages."

"You wouldn't dare," Braeburn said, though he had a definite suspicion he would.

"I plan on making my way with anything your puny town has to offer one way or another. If I can't do it the fun way, I'll do it the dirty way." He tipped his hat to them. "Now if you don't mind, I have some… negotiations to make." The other lizards laughed as they all headed out. "By the way… they call me 'Lizzy the Kid'. Remember it as I take everything from ya!"

With his own mocking laugh echoing in the cave, he too left.

Braeburn and Applejack immediately began to struggle, trying to loosen their binds. "It's no good! I can't… get… free!"

"Hang on," Alex said, carefully dragging his body across the ground. His focus was on his discarded sword, which the bandits had not bothered to do anything with. Reaching it, he awkwardly grabbed it with his bound hands and focused. The black flames shot out and burned the ropes around him, freeing him. "Ok… good thing they forgot about this."

Alex carefully cut the binds from Applejack and Braeburn. "We gotta get back to Appleloosa to stop them varmints for good!"

* * *

"You must be out of your mind!"

"Oh I assure you sheriff, I'm quite sound," Lizzy said with a sneer. "Now, I'll only say this once more… Hand over all your valuables and I'll give you back your precious ponies." A group of ponies were standing behind the sheriff staring down the group of lizard bandits. None of them seemed willing to stand with the sheriff though, preferring to keep him between them and the danger.

"And what about your other lackey," Sheriff Silverstar said.

"Hah! You can keep that fool. He got himself captured, so he can get himself un-captured as far as I care," the bandit leader said dismissively. "Now, fork over the goods!"

"Not so fast!" Applejack walked up towards the group of bandits from behind them, to their shock.

"Darn it… can't you just be a good hostage and stay where you're supposed to stay!" Lizzy cracked his whip angrily.

"Now you definitely got nowhere to run," Braeburn said.

"I ain't gonna give up that easily," Lizzy said, facing down Applejack. The two stared each other down, the lizard gripping his whip ready to strike. "Draw!" Lizzy cracked his whip at Applejack, who dodged and tossed her lasso at him. Lizzy charged in, followed by his gang, but a wall of black flames erupted between them, cutting his lackeys off and surprising most of the town who had come to watch.

"Sorry, but no interfering," Alex said, sword out and on fire.

Lizzy dodged Applejack's rope, lashing out again and again with his whip. "Stand still!" Applejack jumped high, before angling herself to crash right on top of the bandit, putting the full force of her weight onto him. The blow was enough to knock him out completely and have him seeing stars.

"B-boss!"

"Sheriff, I reckon it's time to put these bad boys away for a long time." The crowd cheered as the rest of the bandits surrendered themselves, clearly feeling outmatched. By the time the group of bandits were all rounded up and ready for jail, their leader had awakened and was yelling at the top of his lungs.

"I'll get you for this! You hear me!? This ain't the last you've seen of Lizzy the Kid! I'll get you back, just wait and see!"

"And good riddance," Applejack shouted back, pleased with a job well done.

"Cousin Applejack, that was great! I knew I could count on you to help," Braeburn said before patting Alex on the back. "And you too! Err, it was a human, right? Well, I thank you kindly for helping out with all this."

"Normally, I would be suspicious about this," Sheriff Silverstar said, "but I suppose if Braeburn trusts you, we can trust you. For now anyway."

"In that case, what say I go ahead and give you that tour of the town?"

"Thanks, that would be great," Alex said.

"By the way, I noticed… those flames of yours, you seem to be having no troubles with them now," Applejack mentioned.

"Yeah… I think I've got them mostly under control," Alex said. "Still… I don't really know just how well I have it under control. These flames don't feel as strong as they could be. But to use even more power on them… well, I can't say for sure if I should keep pushing my limits or just be satisfied with this now."

"Well, whatever you decide, I'll be right there with you. I won't lie, seeing those flames brings back some bad memories… but we all chose to believe in you, so we won't go back on that now."

"Thanks… that means a lot," Alex said. And that, he knew, was the honest truth.

* * *

 _Chapter 10 End!_

 _A chance to explore, a chance to bond... a chance to see the fruits of one's labor. Though at times he feels he must walks the path alone, Alex knows that there are others willing to brave the dangers with him. What new things will he learn and what new bonds can be forged?_

 _Find out, next time!_


	13. Fight or Flight, Fillydelphia!

_A/N: Big thanks to **tiguidi123** for the fav. Welcome to the group.  
_

 _That said, I'm sorry this is a bit late. Celebrating Turkey Day and feeling a bit under the weather as it were takes a lot out of me. Next update might be a bit late too since I'm still not feeling too well. Meh, I will try to keep it up for you guys. The power of my fans compels me!_

 ** _Kittensoft:_** _Thanks for the review! I do try my best to entertain you all. That said, I do try to make all the people who fav my work feel welcome. You guys are the thing that makes these updates worthwhile and keep me motivated to write more. That and my obsessive desire to try and finish what I start. And Cherry Coke. I do know the struggle of writer's block though. Oh how the struggle is real..._

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 11: Fight or Flight, Fillydelphia!**_

* * *

The whistle of the train rung loud and clear, indicating that its passengers be ready for its departure. Rainbow Dash stood just outside the doors to one of the cars, with her friends all around her. "Are you sure you have everything? It never hurts to be too prepared," Twilight said.

"Relax, I got this," she said, her bag sung over her shoulder.

"Oh, I hope you'll be okay," Fluttershy said, worried about her friend traveling by herself.

"Come on, you and I both know that Rainbow can handle herself, Sugarcube," Applejack said. "Good luck out there."

"Oh and do bring back some souvenirs won't you," Rarity asked.

"No prob. I'll see you guys next week!" With that, Rainbow hopped onto the train and waved her goodbyes. Reaching her cabin, she pulled out an envelope with a letter inside, the reason for her trip in the first place. She looked it over once more.

'Dear Rainbow Dash,

Due to circumstances beyond our control, Fillydelphia has dire need of skilled Weather Ponies to help us with maintaining our standards of quality weather control and satisfaction. We have heard of your exploits and were hoping you would be able to assist us in a part-time position here. If you can attend, please visit our Weather Offices at the earliest possible convenience and bring this letter with you. We thank you for your, hopefully, future cooperation.

Signed,

Sleet Storm, Fillydelphia Weather Captain.'

The Pegasus re-read the letter in excited glee for what had to be the twelfth time since she got it. She always enjoyed praise for her abilities, and being recognized for her skills, especially in a place like Fillydelphia, was a big confidence booster. If she could do well enough and add this job to her growing list of accomplishments, it would definitely be a big step up to becoming a serious candidate for being a full-fledged Wonderbolt. Weather teams in big cities like Manehattan and Fillydelphia had much stricter requirements and fewer chances of being allowed onto their workforce than places like Ponyville. Of course, places like Ponyville allowed her far more freedom in what she did with her time outside of weather duties. Not that she didn't take her job seriously, but her active lifestyle and the amount of 'power naps' she took all day meant that having a looser schedule was beneficial to her.

Still, she knew she would have to buckle down for the time being and she was perfectly okay with that.

It was sunset by the time the train pulled into the station, to which Rainbow sped off the train. Though she had traveled to many places before with her friends, a city like Fillydelphia was always a grand spectacle to see. The towering buildings, most of which put even the tallest of structures in Ponyville to shame, the vast amount of ponies interacting, the energy that seemed to buzz throughout the streets; all of it sent a certain giddiness to her heart. The only reason she was wasn't flying through the city was simply that she was unfamiliar with its layout. But that would change very soon.

First things first though, she had to find where to report to.

Flying up and joining a mass of other Pegasi, she quickly took in her surroundings and began the search. It didn't take long before she spotted the building, a towering structure with an emblem of a weather cloud on it, large windows on all sides of the upper half of the building that were open to allow Pegasi to fly through. Quickly breaking from the group, Rainbow Dash flew to the main entrance and entered into a lobby, where a single Earth Pony with a red coat and lime-green mane was behind a desk, sorting through papers.

"Can I help you," the mare asked, seeing she had a visitor.

"Yeah, I'm here about the weather job?"

"Authorization?" Rainbow Dash handed over the letter she received to her. The secretary looked it over before setting it aside with a nod. "To your right," she said, pointing to a door. Rainbow thanked her and nodded, heading into what was clearly a large office.

The room was somewhat cluttered with filing cabinets and a desk taking the majority of the floor space. A large map of Fillydelphia was hung on a wall, with pins bearing what were clearly Cutie Marks on it in various places. On top of a cabinet was a small trophy with the words 'Junior Flyer Champion' on it. Next to it was a ribbon that read 'Trick Master Award'.

"Most number of aerial tricks done in two minutes," came the voice of an older Pegasus stallion. He was looking over several documents, but clearly had known about Rainbow's gaze wandering to the awards without having to look up. His coat was a deep blue and his mane was pure white, the symbol of a cloud of sleet on his flank. "Sleet Storm, Captain of Fillydelphia's Weather Team."

"Rainbow Dash, Captain of Ponyville's Weather Team, reporting for duty," she said respectfully. For the foreseeable, she was in the presence of her new boss. Looking him over, she could sense a commanding presence on him. It was clear he was a pony who had endured lots of harsh conditions and had all sorts of experience that she didn't have. He had the aura of somepony who was in charge and expected others to respect that position. For whatever reason, Rainbow could imagine him as some kind of general in war.

It was actually rather inspiring, the more she thought about it.

"I've heard of you," he said looking up at her at last. "An ambitious sort of gal. Still, good to know you can work well with your superiors. Always thought being young was the best time to take risks, but it's better to know your limits. Sorry about the mess, paperwork is a lot more rigorous in a big city like this."

"No problem, sir."

"Right then, let me fill you in," he said. "A small epidemic of Feather Flu left me without much of a team. We got reserve ponies in case, but not nearly enough to cover everything. Good thing you were able to make it. I'm still expecting a few more to show up though. For now, I direct you to this," he said pointing to the map.

"We've broken down most of Fillydelphia into sectors. Each sector gets a team of two weather ponies to monitor and set the weather patterns for the day. Right now, I barely have enough for one pony a sector, never mind two. You'll be partnered with someone on my team to help show you around and make sure you get a feel for the sky around here during your stay. As you can probably tell, this place is a lot bigger than Ponyville. I understand you may want to make a name for yourself here, but don't forget that this is my city, so my rules. Understand?"

"Yes sir," Rainbow said with a nod.

"Good, good. It's already late, so we'll start you first thing in the morning. Be here at 0800, no later." He handed her a small envelope and map. "There's a hotel around here that I've booked for all our volunteer helpers. Just give them that envelope and you'll have room and board for as long as you're working for me. That said, welcome to the team Miss Dash."

"I won't let you down sir," she said shaking his hoof. Rainbow took a look at the map once more before noticing something she had missed earlier. "Uh sir, is there any reason this part of the map is crossed out," she asked pointing to the spot.

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. That part is Dragon Town. It's off-limits while on the job, no exceptions."

"Dragon Town? Wait, you means that _dragons_ live in Fillydelphia!?"

"Yeah. They are… well if you've ever seen dragons before, you know they don't really concern themselves with matters outside of their own kind. Mostly, anyway. These dragons who live here are a lot more… tolerant I guess would be the best word. They keep to themselves for the most part. We don't mess around with them and they don't breathe fire on us. If you want to visit on your free time, that's fine, so long as you don't start any trouble. But they prefer we don't do weather duty there, so we live that alone."

With a firm promise not to wander carelessly into dragon territory, Rainbow left the office and headed to the hotel provided on her map. Once there, she gave the receptionist the envelope and after confirming the contents inside, handed her a room key. She honestly didn't feel too tired, but she decided to rest up anyway, knowing that she would have plenty of time over the course of the week or so she was here to explore more of the city.

She was unprepared, therefore, when she opened the door to her room and saw a shirtless Alex drying his hair with a towel.

"GAH!"

"What are you doing here," they both said at the same time.

"You first," Alex said, pointing to the Pegasus.

"I'm here for some emergency weather duties," Rainbow said. "I was told I'd be getting a room here while I'm here. So why are you here?"

"I'm here doing the whole tourist thi- wait! You should already know why I'm here! I've been here for the past two days! I told you all I was going to Fillydelphia, remember?"

"W-what!? I mean, yeah, of course I remember," she said a bit flustered and embarrassed, trying to hide the fact that she had completely forgot. "Whatever, I need to go get a new room."

"Good luck," Alex said shaking his head and reaching into a travel bag (one of Rarity's design) to put on a shirt. "The rest of the rooms here are booked. I was lucky enough just to get this one. Though I suppose now I can see why they offered it to me at a reduced rate…" Rainbow still looked skeptical, but Alex merely shrugged. "Look, there are two beds in the room, so at least you have that. I guess they made a mistake or something, but there's no point in arguing about it. I'll deal with it if you will."

Part of her really didn't want to have to deal with it, but she sighed in defeat. In all honesty, she wouldn't mind completely so long as Alex didn't relentlessly bother her. And perhaps treated her to dinner. She could only hope he had found a good place to eat.

* * *

Rainbow reported in for weather duty right on time, flying up some stairs from the front office into a large locker room that had a giant hole in the ceiling. She could see some Pegasi already flying up through it, wearing what appeared to be uniforms signifying they were on weather patrol. She was pointed to her own temporary locker and put on the uniform, consisting of an aerodynamic red and gold body suit, with the insignia of Fillydelphia's Weather Team on it. "Ah good, your suited up. I was hoping it would fit you." Rainbow turned to see Sleet Storm walking up to her with another pony. A very familiar pony, with a turquoise coat and an orange and yellow mane.

"Lightning Dust," Rainbow said in disbelief.

"Hey, long time no see, Rainbow Dash," the other mare said. She too was wearing the uniform of the weather team.

"Ah so you two know each other. That should smooth things along then." Rainbow wasn't too sure about that. The last time she and Lightning Dust had met, they had left on, though not hostile terms, not particularly friendly terms either. The other Pegasus had taken a big blow to her ego during their time training as Wonderbolt Cadets. And Rainbow knew that she was, at least in part, somewhat to blame for her fall from grace.

She really, really hoped this wouldn't turn out like the 'Gilda Incident'.

"Right, so this might be asking a bit much, but based on your records, I have every confidence you can pull it off. Your area of work is the warehouse district, all three sectors. We are looking at a bright and sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. You two got it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Now get going!" The two zoomed off, with Lightning Dust leading the way as they headed to their station. Now that they were alone, Rainbow wasn't sure what to say to her.

"So, how you been," Lightning asked, apparently not fazed by the awkwardness of the situation.

"Huh? Oh, fine. You know, practicing my stuff and all," she said.

"Cool, cool. So you liking Fillydelphia? There's a lot of places to go see."

The two continued to make small talk, until they reached their destination. "Alright, you take section three, I'll take section two, and we meet up in section one. Then we can take a break, head back in the afternoon for a check-up and report back in. Sound like a plan," Lightning Dust asked Rainbow.

"Totally. Last one to finish is a rotten egg!" With that declaration, the two shot off, eager to be the first one to finish. As Rainbow flew through the sky, she took stock of the situation. She busted through clouds, scattering them into nothingness in a matter of seconds. As she did, she looked down to watch the myriad of workers loading large and small boxes into the buildings. She couldn't begin to imagine what could be inside them. Ponyville didn't need such things as warehouses.

Still getting used to everything, it took her a few minutes more than she usually did to make sure the skyway was clear. Going wild would probably not look as impressive to her new boss as it was to herself. Besides, stopping to admire a job well done was always worth taking a few extra seconds. Leaving her section behind, she raced off towards meeting with Lightning Dust, expecting her to already be there and halfway to clearing the area. To her surprise, she was there first, and proceeded to wait on a cloud for her partner before starting up.

She showed up not more than a minute later. "Geez, you get faster or something? And here I thought I'd have the home-field advantage," she teased. Rainbow smiled back, puffing out her chest in pride. She was glad that everything seemed to be working well with Lightning, considering their shared history together.

Finishing up for the morning, the two decided to head towards a small café and break for lunch before heading back up in the afternoon. During that time, Lightning Dust entertained Rainbow with stories about Fillydelphia and what it was like living here in comparison to someplace like Ponyville. Their friendship seemed to come back to them easily, as if what had happened at the training camp didn't even exist. And once they finished up their duty and headed into report, Rainbow was looking forwards to checking out the night life with her friend.

At least, until they came across a rather irate Sleet Storm. "Which one of you was in charge of section 3 for the warehouses?"

"Um, I took that in the morning and Lightning Dust in the afternoon. Why," Rainbow asked. She didn't like the look he was suddenly giving her.

"Because I got calls for complaints about it _**raining**_ when I said it would be a nice and sunny day!" Rainbow looked surprised by that. How had that happened?

"W-what!? No way, I totally cleared the sky! I swear!"

"And you're certain of this?"

"Um, with all due respect sir," Lightning Dust spoke up, "I did notice the rainclouds, but this doesn't seem like something Rainbow would have done on purpose. Maybe it was just an accident?" Sleet Storm stared down Lightning Dust, but she remained unfazed by his gaze.

"Alright… you are still new around here, so I guess this could have been just a one-time freak accident. But be more careful next time! I expect a certain quality of work from everypony on my flying team. That includes all you volunteers." With that, he left them be.

Rainbow gave a deep sigh. What had gone wrong? She knew that she wasn't likely to have made such a basic error. She knew she had the skills. This was something that somepony on their first day would do. "Hey, um… thanks for sticking up for me. I mean, not that I needed it or anything," Rainbow said, a bit sheepishly.

"It's cool. I've seen your moves, I know what you can do. Besides, that's what friends are for, right?" Rainbow was surprised. She still thought of them as friends? While Rainbow would never deny to knowing that they had once been friends, Rainbow had not seen their relationship as something within the realm of 'friends' when they parted ways. It really made her feel down to think such things. "Besides, there's always tomorrow to impress the chief, right?"

"Yeah, totally. So uh, you still want to show me around?"

"Of course! Let's get this party going already!" Rainbow perked up at that. At the very least, the day would not end on a bad note. And things would undoubtedly be better tomorrow, of that she was sure.

* * *

Things had definitely not improved.

For the next two days, more complaints about the quality of Rainbow's work came into the office, and rumors were starting to float around the locker room. Nasty rumors about both Ponyville and what sort of tricks and cheating she had used to gain her position of Captain of Ponyville's Weather Team. Rainbow really wanted to yell and defend her stance, but she knew that would only make things worse. Throughout it all though, Lightning Dust seemed to be the only one taking her side and sticking up for her to both her peers and boss. But Rainbow knew that wouldn't last for long.

One pony alone could not sway everyone.

Such as it was, on the fourth day of the job, she was already expecting to see the irate face of Sleet Storm with today's mess-up. And she honestly couldn't find out what was going wrong with her work. Never before had she screwed things up so badly. Sure she had been a bit overconfident early in her carrier and there had been some close calls over the course of the job, but never before to this extent. She was already starting to slowly lose self-confidence in her actions, though not enough to not bother showing up for work each day. She just had to keep pushing herself harder, she told herself, keep trudging through it all.

Still, when she came in and saw Sleet Storm waiting for her and Lightning with a carefully blank look on his face, it wasn't too surprising. "Rainbow Dash, Lightning Dust, my office. Now." Both mares looked at each other with worried looks before Rainbow Dash sighed and headed forwards with her head hung down. Was this it then? Would she actually be _fired_ for the first time in her carrier as a Weather Pony? She really didn't want to think of what would happen or what she would say to the girls back home. How could she go on with such a black stain on her record? How could the Wonderbolts ever take her seriously now?

Throughout all these inner thoughts, she completely missed the look on Lightning Dust's face before it carefully was replaced with concern. "It's okay Rainbow Dash. We'll think of something."

"I hope so." The three of them were now in Sleet Storm's office, and she gulped while facing him.

"So… I think we have all have a good idea about why I called you in here. I suppose I don't need to explain myself?" Rainbow shook her head, not yet trusting herself to speak as she tried to make her case. "In that case, do you have anything to say?"

"I…" She wanted to say so much, to explain things to him in some way. That things weren't her fault that she could do so much better if he only gave her one more chance. Instead, all that could come out was, "I'm sorry, sir."

"I'm sorry I have to do this too." With that, he abruptly faced Lightning Dust and said, "Lightning Dust, you're fired."

The silence in the room was so deafening that one could hear a feather drop. Complete shock registered on both mare's faces.

"W-what!?"

"You heard me. You're fired. Clear out your locker by the end of the day. Dismissed. Rainbow Dash, stay." The shock on Lightning Dust's face changed to barely contained fury before she stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Sleet Storm went to his desk, opening a drawer there.

"S-sir? I don't underst-," Rainbow got out before she was interrupted.

"There are many things I can tolerate, Rainbow Dash. I'm a rather patient stallion, you know? But there are some things I will absolutely never stand for. Like sabotage." With that, he threw some papers on the desk from his drawer. Though instead of papers, Rainbow noticed they were pictures. She recognized one of them being Lightning Dust, gathering storm clouds over what looked like the warehouse district. The others were also of Lightning Dust, manipulating the weather in some way.

The pieces began to connect for her.

"Somepony," Sleet Storm continued, "sent me these to give to you. Don't know who though. But when I took a good look at them and cross-referenced them with the sections you two were working in… well, I knew something had to be done." Rainbow could barely believe it. All this time, Lightning Dust had been causing problems and blaming her for them…

…Only for her to come right back around and try to stick up for her. _No,_ Rainbow thought, _pretend to stick up for me._ And for what? To make herself look good in Rainbow's eyes, perhaps even to think to be indebted to her.

"I do apologize for everything. I'll be sure to re-write my reports and provide some proper compensation for you. And I'll make sure the rest of the team knows the whole story. Take the rest of the day off and relax. I think you have definitely earned it."

"Thank you, sir," Rainbow said, collecting the pictures and heading out. Her mind was racing with all sorts of questions about this whole situation, but right now she really wanted to sleep. She was therefore caught by surprise when something hit her and pushed her into a nearby alley. Rainbow hit the wall, something pinning her wings down. She looked up in surprise to see Lightning Dust staring down at her. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"What's the big idea? You know what the big idea is! You think you can get away with humiliating me? With thinking you could be better than me? First the Academy and now here? I'm not going to let you ruin my reputation here too!"

"That's what this is about," Rainbow said in disbelief, trying to struggle free. She had to be careful since wings were rather sensitive and she was pinned down good. "And just so you know, that whole thing was _your_ fault! You were the one who-."

"Shut up," she yelled in anger. "I don't need to take this from you! I'm the best flyer here, and if I can't be the best, then I'll just have to make sure no one else will be better than me." Rainbow was starting to panic. This pony was Grade-A crazy with a capital Discord. She had no desire to know just how Lightning would make good on her promise.

But before either one could move, another voice spoke up. "I would seriously advise you to let her go." Lightning turned around, ready to fight whoever had interrupted. And looked up into a face that was staring down at her. Rainbow also perked up at the voice, never before so happy to hear it. She squirmed to take a good look at the one who had come in the nick of time…

…And saw the camera that was hanging around the human's neck.

"Who are you supposed to be? Heck, _what_ are you supposed to be?"

"My name, is Alex Wilder. And that mare you are holding just so happens to be my friend," the human said. "Now then," he said, his voice going hard and his hand coming to rest on his sword. "I'll only tell you this one more time. Let her go, or I will make you do it."

Lightning Dust's gaze flickered to the human's sword and back to his face. She wasn't sure if taking him on would be viable. Deciding it wasn't worth it, she let go and immediately flew off without a word. Alex calmly walked to Rainbow's side, glad that things didn't turn out messier than he would have liked. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, stretching out her wings. Her gaze turned back to the camera that was hanging around his neck. "Thanks."

"Oh please, I didn't even do anything," Alex said, leading the way out of the alley and back onto the streets. "Seriously, I was just lucky to find you, that's all. I'm sure you could have handled her."

"Yeah well, thanks anyway. The pictures too. They, uh, really helped."

"Helped? How?" Rainbow looked to him a bit disbelievingly. "I mean, it looked interesting and I never seem to catch you doing your job back in Ponyville, so I thought I should snap a few pictures. Maybe you could explain how it all works to me." Rainbow looked shocked. The casual way he was saying those things…

But she could see him also fighting to reveal a smirk on his face and understood. He had helped her without actually helping her. Playing it off as chance and luck. And perhaps some of it had been. After all, they never seemed to run into each other unless it was back at the hotel when they crashed for the night. "Hey, um… you go back to Ponyville tomorrow right? Want to… hang out or something tonight?"

"No, not really." Rainbow froze in place at hearing that come so casually and easily from him. "Don't look at me like that. This doesn't really change things between us, you know. Our friendship might be a little bit… well, strange compared to everyone else, but it doesn't make it any less of a friendship, right? I tolerate you, and you tolerate me, and we somehow make it work. Why try to fix what's not broken?"

Rainbow thought about it. True, ever since they met their quote, unquote 'friendship' was weird. From complete distrust, with cooperation only because of their mutual friends with the others, to a grudging respect of each other's abilities. And she realized just how well that seemed to work for them.

"I guess so… besides, you'd just slow me down anyway," she said, smirking.

"Oh please, Pinkie out-parties you by a mile. Besides, maybe this way I can actually get some decent sleep without you snoring," he teased.

"What!? I don't snore! Take that back," she said complaining.

"Make me!"

The two bantered all the way back to the hotel. It was a strange sight to see for certain. But underneath it all was a friendship between them, if one knew where to look for it. And that was something they could both trust in.

* * *

 _Chapter 11, End!_

 _A Friendship that transcends words. A Friendship that transcends actions. A careful balance of trust and doubt that doesn't need to change or be questioned. Secured by such knowledge, Alex continues to march on. But to what end does it lead?_

 _Find out, next time!_


	14. Immaterial Present

_A/N: First, thanks for **dragonbond007** , **ToonMariz90,** and **7019289** for the follows and fav. Once again, my power is recharged.  
_

 _In that light... **UGH**. I am disgusted with myself for this lack of updates. But the holiday season is a complete hell on my life right now. Especially considering I've been working longer hours to get things finished up before Christmas and the New Year. I mean, I knew this would be late because of the sickness, but the long hours are just murder on my motivation to write. Which is strange because my brain will not stop coming up with new ideas to try. Seriously, is it too much to ask the plot bunnies in my own head to focus on finishing THIS story before I get ideas for the next two or three?_

 _Maybe I should set up a poll..._

 _So guys, what do you think my next story should feature? It's going to be either another MLP story or a RWBY story. Poll will be open... well, as soon as this is uploaded._

 _And on that note, if I miss the next update I'm hoping you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Much love to all my fans. 2016, HERE WE COME!_

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 12: Immaterial Present**_

* * *

The sun was shining down on a clear and beautiful day in Ponyville. A gentle breeze wrapped around the town, the perfect day for outdoors activities. In the case on Ponyville's resident animal caretaker, it meant that afternoon tea could be held outdoors. It wasn't often she did this, but Fluttershy felt the day was special enough to warrant an outdoor relaxation with her human friend.

Except that there was a somewhat tense feeling in the air. Though he appeared polite and well-mannered, Fluttershy's experience in observation knew that something was troubling Alex at the moment. She was not one to deny the fact that there were plenty of times in her life where she could have been called a coward. And she could see where her overcautious nature would be seen as a hindrance more than help.

But it also meant she had great observational skills and when put to the test, could notice things far more quickly than the rest of her friends, even things on a deeper level. It was why she was so good at speaking to her animal friends and why many of her friends, Rarity especially, liked to talk to her about things going on with their lives. She was always able to offer a fresh new perspective on things.

Of course, noticing these things and calling out them were two big different ideals. Fluttershy may not have known exactly what was causing Alex's tenseness, but she wouldn't bring it up either. It would be much better for him to speak up about it on his own. If he ever would.

"Um, do you like your tea, Alex? It's not too hot is it?"

"Hm? No, it's just fine. It's a very interesting blend. I normally drink coffee myself, but this stuff just might make me consider the alternative."

So it wasn't the tea, though Fluttershy stored away the knowledge of his like for coffee in her mind for later. She wasn't much of a coffee drinker herself, although she knew some ponies who enjoyed the brew. She could see the appeal with some milk and sugar, but honestly couldn't understand how some would take it black and bitter. To each their own, in any case.

"Um, are the snacks okay? I wanted to have more variety, since I know you can't enjoy everything we ponies eat…"

"It's fine Fluttershy, honestly. It's a nice day out, right? You should relax a bit more."

"Oh, um, yes." So it wasn't the snacks either. Alex turned his head slightly, gazing in the direction of Ponyville before letting out an almost inaudible sigh. To any other pony, it would have been missed completely, but to Fluttershy it was a blaring alarm. Something was bugging her friend, but she had no clue as to what.

She had to wonder, should she even be concerned about this? It wasn't as if Alex would keep it a secret forever, right? She would hate to pry into his life unnecessarily. But Alex was far, far different than the ponies of Ponyville. And the friendship between him and her and her friends had gone through some radical changes during their brief time knowing one another.

Still, she wished to help. Even if he didn't ask for it, the fact that she could have done something for him and chose not to do it would bug her constantly. That was why she made the choice to visit Pinkie Pie after the two of them parted ways. If anypony knew how to cheer someone up, it was Pinkie Pie.

Thus Fluttershy was waiting at Sugarcube Corner while Pinkie was sitting on a chair with a detective hat on her head and blowing on a pipe that was producing multicolored bubbles from it. "Hm… a most predictable predicament my dear Watson! Thankfully, you came to the right pony!"

"Um, Pinkie? Who's Watson?"

"One minute. I'm thinking." A few seconds later an idea popped into her head, as a cupcake with a single birthday candle hovered over her head. "Eureka!" She reached up and grabbed the floating cupcake before taking a bite out of it. "Want some?"

"No thank you," Fluttershy said, not trusting, or even understanding, where that cupcake had come from.

"Well, for this plan to work, I'm gonna need lots of help. So Fluttershy, you go distract Alex tomorrow and bring him by at noon. And then everything will be fixed!"

"M-m-me!? Why me? Why not Rainbow Dash, or Applejack, or-." But her rant was cut off when Pinkie pinched her cheeks.

"Cause I'm gonna need their help to get everything ready. Which means you have to make sure he doesn't come by until everything is just right. All you need to do is show him this," she said, placing a set of fake glasses with swirly lens on it, with an overly large nose and fake mustache attached. "Perfect!"

"Well, I'll try," she said, taking off the glasses. Honestly she wasn't sure she would ever wear them, but decided to keep them in any case. She gave a small 'Eep!' sound as she was pushed out the door.

"Great! Operation Cheer Up Alex is a go!" The door was closed, then opened briefly again when Pinkie put out a sign that simply said, 'Preparing…' before closing it once more. Fluttershy sighed for a moment, before heading back to her cottage.

"Oh dear… now what do I do?" She had to think of something that would sufficiently distract Alex enough for Pinkie to be ready with… whatever it was she needed to be ready with. Likely a party of some sort. But she hardly had anything worth mentioning or doing that would warrant taking up a large amount of time. Caring for her animals was something they could do together, but even she could see how it wasn't for everyone. Besides which she already had a nice system in place that would give her animal friends the best comforts in the least amount of time. She wasn't sure how Alex would be able to help with that, especially considering some of the animals had a hard time trusting new ponies around them.

She wondered what her friends would do. Rainbow would likely challenge the human to some competition. Twilight would undoubtedly have books to read. Rarity might invite him to the spa. Applejack would likely have something on the farm to do. So, what did she, Fluttershy, have to offer? A tea party perhaps, but that couldn't go on forever. Certainly not long enough to keep distracting him properly. It seemed that she would have to think of something outside of her comfort zone.

The prospect was daunting, but she called on her inner courage and the training she had undertaken with a creature of the past, one Mr. Iron Will. Though the incident had sufficiently blown up in her face at the time, there were plenty of good things that the Minotaur had spoken about that she tried to bring into her life. Namely, about being confident in herself. So all she had to do was be confident in whatever she chose.

That couldn't be too hard, right?

* * *

"A nature hike?"

"Um, yes…"

Alex gazed at Fluttershy, who was wearing an explorer's hat. It looked both completely out of place, yet strangely complementary to her look at the same time. Perhaps it was because he would have never thought she could pull it off. He adjusted the backpack that she had handed to him, feeling the weight shift slightly. She had come to him as he was leaving the castle, and asked for him to accompany her. They now stood before a place known as White Tail Woods. "So, what brought this on?"

"Oh, um… well, we don't really do a lot of things together. And I want to get to know you better too. So, um, I thought it would be nice to see nature and talk?" Fluttershy couldn't help but be a bit nervous. This plan sounded so much better in her head, and the twelve times she rehearsed saying it before bed yesterday.

"Well, that's fine, I guess." Fluttershy could sense Alex's hesitation, and wanted to immediately take back her plans to see what might be wrong. But that would mean that Alex might wander over to Pinkie's place and ruin whatever surprise she had in store for him. She would have to endure, for his sake.

Thankfully, their walk and talk went well. At least, as well as it could go. Though Fluttershy had requested to hear more about Alex, she instead ended up talking about all the wonders of nature on their hike. It was the most excited the human had ever seen the shy pony, and he really couldn't find it in himself to interrupt her passionate love for it all. Alex pushed her on, asking about why she had liked the ground so much in comparison to her friend Rainbow Dash who tended to fly just about everywhere she could.

And so Fluttershy told him, about her insecurities and her passiveness towards being in the clouds all the time. Of the bullying and how Rainbow had always stuck up for her. Of the honesty that animals had and the tranquility of being near them. In the end, Alex learned far more about Fluttershy than she did of him. But he didn't seem to mind.

Before she knew it, the time came and passed for Alex to be back at Pinkie's and enjoying her surprise. And it would have been hours more to Fluttershy's embarrassment, had Alex not mentioned getting something to eat. The shy Pegasus panicked slightly, "Oh no, we're late!"

"Late? Late to what?"

"Um… something," she said vaguely. That was when he gave her 'the look'. It was one she knew well, and one which she used when dealing with some animals who tried testing the limits of her patience. Oh she never went so far as to punish any of her charges, but she knew that sometimes a firm stare was necessary in order for them to behave. She couldn't have them accidentally hurting anyone else. "Oh um… well, I noticed you were feeling down lately. So I asked Pinkie Pie if she could find a way to cheer you up. I hope you're not mad."

"Why would I be mad?" He knelt down to her level, to help in comforting her. He knew that his height could be, however unintentional, a bit intimidating to ponies. "Though, I suppose I should have figured someone would have noticed. I really wasn't meaning to burden you with anything."

"Oh no, it's not a burden, never," she affirmed, not wanting him to think that she was uncomfortable with him.

"Yeah well… sorry, but the reason I've been so down lately is because today is my mother's birthday." Fluttershy looked shocked for a moment. "Yeah I know. Normally, I send her a letter or call her when I can't make it to visit. But being stuck here… well, that sort of thing is impossible. I can't imagine how worried everyone back home is. I really wish there was something I could do."

Fluttershy felt very powerless and saddened. She had hoped to bond with him a bit, perhaps learn more and what did she do? Eat up his time and tried to pretend that things would be okay. He had adapted so well coming to this world of Equestria that she had forgotten that it wasn't only him that was affected. There were others, people who he loved and was loved in return, that were also suffering.

"Um, maybe you can still write a letter," Fluttershy hastily suggested. "You could even mail it and…" But her thoughts trailed off. Mail it, and what? They both knew she would never get it. The only way they could and would be reunited would be when Twilight finished learning the spell to send him home. And from there…

Without thinking, Fluttershy pulled out the comedic glasses she received from Pinkie and put them on. Alex looked to her in confusion as she gave a hesitant smile. For a full minute an awkward silence filled the air. And then…

"Psst…. HAHAHAHA!" Alex began to laugh uncontrollably. "Oh god, what is that," he couldn't help but ask, pointing to Fluttershy's ridiculous mask. He began to hold onto his stomach. "I'm s-s-sorry, but you look… you look-!" But he couldn't finish his sentence as he struggled to breathe properly once more. "Oh heavens above… I needed that. So much." Fluttershy's smile became a little less awkward and more natural. "You know, I think I will write that letter. But, can you promise me that you will mail it for me?"

"Um, sure. If you really don't mind." She was glad to have this moment with him. Glad that at least in this, there was something she could do. "Oh no! We're really late to Pinkie's surprise…"

"It's okay. I think everything will turn out okay." The two departed back to Ponyville proper, upon which they had made straight for Sugarcube Corner. Throughout the whole time, Fluttershy kept on the silly glasses, glad to have been part of the reason Alex was feeling more upbeat. Opening the door they were instantly met by…

"SURPRISE!" The completely unsurprising event of being 'surprised' by Pinkie Pie. What was perhaps more surprising was what she was wearing. A rainbow-colored wig with make-up covering her face and a bright, striped suit with overly-large red shoes. "You made it! And just in time for the party!"

"Pinkie, I hesitate to ask, but what in the world are you wearing?"

"Duh, it's my costume for the costume party," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Looking inside he could see all their other friends already dressed up for the occasion. Twilight was wearing a blue hat and cloak with a startling number of golden bells and a fake beard. Rainbow Dash was flying in a dragon's costume, while Applejack was wearing a jacket which was stuffed with what looked like straw. Rarity was wearing a black cloak and not much else, but her smile revealed a set of fangs.

"So… clown, dragon, scarecrow, vampire, and… Gandalf?"

"Who's that? I'm Star-Swirled the Bearded!"

"Ah yes of course, how could I not see it," Alex said, not even knowing who this 'Star-Swirl' even was. He was dragged by Pinkie to behind a curtain. "Hey, wait!"

"No time! We gotta get you into costume too!" He was pushed out of sight and in a matter of seconds (to which he had no idea how she had managed to change him out of his clothes so quickly), he was dressed as a pirate. "Perfect!"

"Not to sound troubled by this, but isn't it somewhat out of season for this kind of thing?"

"Of course it is! That's what makes it such a surprise." He had to admit, that truly would throw him off completely. He had expected some kind of party if the cheering up came from Pinkie, but this was the last thing on his mind.

"We went through a lot to get this ready so you better-oomph," Rainbow began before she was elbowed quickly by Applejack.

"What RD means," she said, speaking up, "is that we all wanted to make sure you weren't feeling left out of anything."

"Well, in that case, let's get this party started!" A cheer followed and music began to play. Ultimately, it wasn't just the party. It was the fact that he had received something from it that he wasn't aware he had been wanting. A gift, filled with Kindness and Laughter.

* * *

 _Dear Mom,_

 _How are you? I'm doing well. I'm sorry I missed your birthday. Things have been rather hectic here. I'm doing alright though. No need to worry about me too much. Though I know it may seem pointless for me to tell you that._

 _The last few months have been especially trying for me. Thankfully I made several new friends that are really helping me out. I wish you could meet them. I think you'd like a few of them. They are helping me out, in ways I didn't even know I needed. I feel really lucky to have met them. I'll tell you all about them the next time I visit._

 _I admit, it's been a bit lonely at times. Some days it feels hard getting up and facing the day. I miss you lots, and I think about how you and dad are doing from time to time. I hope my brother isn't driving you crazy. Tell them both I miss them too. I hope I can get the time to see you again soon._

 _With love, your son,_

 _Alex_

* * *

 _Chapter 12, End!_

 _Friendship is not only sharing the happy times, but the troubling times and the hurtful times. As troubles are washed away in the presence of caring friends, Alex continues to step further into the light. But will that light be strong enough to pierce the coming darkness?_

 _Find out, next time!_


	15. Boundary of the Heart

_A/N: First, a big thank you to **joshua190081** for the fav. Super nice.  
_

 _And HERE IT IS! The first Update from me in 2016! Whoo! Not only that, but this marks the end of the 2nd Arc. One more to go! Back to the action baby! Hope all you guys had a great holiday. Lords know I needed mine. Hopefully you got everything you wanted for Christmas and partied hard on the New Year. Back to the grind for me._

 _Let's get this chapter started!_

 ** _malandy:_** _OMG, it's you again! Welcome back. So glad you decided to check out this story too. I've got plenty of things to look at, so I'll let you explore a bit. As for FIMfiction... honestly never heard it before you mentioned it. Not sure if I want to make an account just to post this one story on it. Granted I probably wouldn't be the first one to do it but... hey what can I say. I don't think I'm that big a fan of the show. Just know what to research really. Still, it will be here. And if you do want to see it up there... well, I won't stop you, so long as I get credit for writing it._

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 13: Boundary of the Heart**_

* * *

As much as she would try to deny it, it was official. Rarity could not focus.

Not to say that she didn't have any ideas, no. At any given moment, she could have as many as three different possible outfits in mind, and that was simply on just her off days. But as she stared down one of her many mannequins, a bare blank canvas to which a masterpiece would surely grace one day, she found she could not concentrate on the idea for her latest creation.

Truth be told, Rarity had no outstanding orders to fulfill. Her latest batch of outfits for her latest client were finished ahead of schedule and so she had hoped to fill in the void of time with other potential ideas that could be used to wow her customers. Unfortunately it seemed every time she had some free time to think, her mind would drift back to that fateful conversation she had overheard weeks ago.

Not that she had meant to eavesdrop or anything. No, such behavior would be unbecoming of a lady of Rarity's caliber. It had simply been bad timing for all parties involved. She really wanted to vent her frustrations about it, but she truly couldn't find fault with anypony but herself. After all, no one else involved seemed to have spoken up yet, and she could almost pretend it never happened had it just stopped plaguing her thoughts every now and then.

Rarity had, if not outright known, an inkling of Spike's feelings towards her, even before his fateful birthday party. And at first, she thought it a cute crush, nothing more. She had several of them herself throughout her life, both as the crush'-er' and crush'-ee'. And such childlike affections had given her something of a devoted assistant for a time. And Rarity had seen nothing wrong with it. She had figured that eventually Spike would lose such interests in her and move on. It was nothing she hadn't seen before and it certainly didn't devalue the friendship they had shared.

What she hadn't known was the depth of his feelings for her. And it became painfully clear to her just how much it looked like she was stringing him along with her attitude towards the whole affair after his attempted 'confession'. She had silenced him then, and tried to convey her understanding. And resolved to try to treat him better and more like a friend than someone who was being taken advantage of. Thus the dynamic of their friendship had changed.

It was always there when they hung out together, either just themselves at her shop or with their other friends. A silent, secret connection of 'something' between them that had altered the way they behaved towards one another. But it was also an unspoken rule to never mention it, to never acknowledge its presence. It was as if their friendship was hanging off a bridge and one false step could mean it would break and perhaps never be repaired. Such a friendship was too important for either of them to lose, and so they had simply and silently agreed to one another to not speak of it.

And now, the human Alex was threatening that precious balance.

Well, perhaps 'threaten' was too strong a term, but Rarity had no other words to think of at the time. And though Alex had encouraged Spike to make this decision on his own and reveal everything within his heart, Rarity had realized that she too would need to be able to provide an answer to the question within her own heart.

 _Do you love him?_

The scariest part was, she could not immediately come up with an answer.

Spike had seemed to have everything she looked for in a stallion. While the reality of the world had somewhat tarnished those dreams, she still had that guilty fantasy of being swept off her hooves by some charming, handsome stallion like a fairytale princess. And though he was no prince, Spike had always treated her like royalty, wanting to make her happy no matter what. It was the kind of devotion and adoration that she wished could even be halfway imitated by her recent dates.

He was also easy to talk to, a great listener for her to vent the frustrations of her day, seconded only to Fluttershy perhaps. More than once did Rarity have to suffer through many guys talking about themselves on and on and on. As if the more accomplishments they could list, the more interested she would become with them. Spike would always pick a topic they could both enjoy and other times would simply be her sounding board whenever she needed to let off some steam.

But of course, as good as these qualities were, there were complications. For starters Spike was a dragon. Granted, he lacked the mentality of one, but physically there it was. She could only imagine the awkward situations and attention they would gather from everyone. Even if times were more liberal now than the past, this was a species gap. A much bigger deal than a Pegasus marrying a Unicorn; at the very least, they were both still ponies.

Then there was the fact he was a _baby_ dragon. It seemed so much worse to even try to say let alone think of. What kind of pony would it make her to want to be with someone so young? It would kill her social standing and she would likely never be able to face anypony in town again. Everything she worked for would blow up in her face and she would have to start at square one in a new town to even think about recovering from it. And that was assuming that the choice wouldn't haunt her for years to come.

Then there was the fact that even if he were older, he would likely be so much bigger and more dangerous to be around. Though she would never believe that Spike would hurt her or anypony else for that matter, he still had the instincts of a dragon. Those didn't just magically go away. And then there was the fact that dragons lived for much, much longer than ponies could. By the time he actually became an adult, it was likely she would be long gone from this world. Would his devotion to her last beyond her death? She hated to think that he would deny himself happiness for her just because of a selfish whim.

Of course, all this was just her own personal worries. Objectively speaking there was an answer for just about everything.

Alex was another species from a completely different plane of existence, and yet many of the ponies in Ponyville had already accepted him as something of the norm. No one batted an eye or gave a second glance if he was seen strolling through the town, so it was likely they would also not make much of a fuss if a pony and a dragon were to date. As for Spike's age, she also knew that he was, at the very least, a few years younger than Twilight herself, having been hatched when she was just a filly. Pony-wise, he would be something close to a teenager, fifteen at the youngest. And while she was a young adult herself, the age gap wasn't nearly as big or significant when viewed in such a manner.

As for his instincts, he had already proven to have risen above them once. And he had done it for her and no one else. Though she had not realized it at the time, it truly spoke volumes to how much control and power she had over him. It almost seemed silly to think of, that a pony could ever hold some kind of influence over a dragon, but there it was. And concerning his longevity… well, there really wasn't much that she could do about that. Spike did deserve someone who could stay by his side over the decades, especially since she could not.

And yet, she couldn't help but feel a sicken twist in her stomach at the thought of Spike showering his love on someone, anyone else. Almost as if he would be betraying her.

All of this was far, far too stressful for her to deal with. She wondered if a visit to the spa was in order. The place always seemed so perfect for melting her troubles away. Her next scheduled visit wasn't until a few days from now, but she knew that Lotus and Aloe would appreciate her business. Perhaps she could also invite Fluttershy and they could have a nice chat as well… and her musings were cut short when she felt a poke on her shoulder.

"GAH!" Rarity quickly turned to see Alex stepping back, slightly startled by her shout. "Alex," she said, her voice slightly high and with a tinge of red in her cheeks from embarrassment at her rather un-ladylike shout of surprise, "please don't do that! Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on somepony like that?"

"Sorry," he said, "but I was outside knocking on your door for like, three minutes and no one was answering."

"Ah," the white unicorn sighed, her face reddening a bit more. "I apologize. Lately I've been a bit… preoccupied. A lot on my mind as it were."

"I see. Penny for your thoughts?" Rarity looked at him in confusion. "Sorry, I forgot… it's a saying back home. It basically means I'm willing to listen if you need to talk about it."

"Oh, thank you for the offer Darling, but it's quite alright. I'd hate to burden you with my troubles." She cleared her throat for a moment before continuing, "Anyway, did you need something? A tear in your clothes perhaps, or…?"

"Actually, I just came to pass along a message. Apparently some fancy stallion from Canterlot wants to meet with you this evening. Something about a new clothes line or something?" Rarity's eyes widened in their sockets. "Anyway, he said he'd be staying over at Twilight's castle while she plays host as the Princess. Said to meet him around six."

Six o'clock. Rarity turned to her clock and her eyes widened in panic this time. That only left her with a measly four hours to prepare! "Thank you for telling me this dear," she said, as she quickly turned him around and pushed him towards the door. "You have a wonderful day now." She pushed him out and closed the door on his back, before turning the 'open' sign to 'closed'. Moments later a loud 'Squee!' sound could be heard. Alex turned back to the door before shaking his head.

"Well… that went better than I thought it would."

Honestly, he really didn't want to have to lie to her, but he did promise Spike. The fact was, there was no pony from Canterlot at Twilight's castle. No, just a very determined dragon who wanted to make the ultimate gesture of his devotion. Though tricking Rarity into a date was perhaps not the best way to start off the evening, Alex wouldn't deny that what the dragon had planned was indeed memorable. He could only hope that Rarity would think so too, for the right reasons.

Though to be fair, the idea for the surprise date had been Rainbow Dash's. Where she had gotten the idea, no one knew and no one really was keen on finding out.

All of Spike's friends promised to help, though they all had various opinions on the matter. Twilight had initially thought it a bad idea, and wanted Spike to simply stop while he was ahead, afraid of just what kind of psychological damage might be done if Rarity would reject him. Though she honestly didn't see them coming together, she did promise the young drake that she would at the very least support him and be there if he needed it. And judging from her initial feelings on the matter, she felt that he would really need it.

Applejack had been a bit more… vocal in terms of her opinion. She outright told him that dating Rarity could really put a huge strain on their friendship and that it would be better to simply let her go. Apparently from what he learned, she took a more traditional view of the idea of dating. Pinkie had countered this by saying Spike had every right to try and win the heart of his beloved mare, especially since others had already come and gone, failing to win her over. Though perhaps, as Alex believed, she really just wanted an excuse to have a chance to throw an once-in-a-lifetime, completely never before seen wedding party between a dragon and a pony.

Rainbow Dash hadn't really cared either way. To her, it was Spike's life to do what he wanted, and if he wanted to take a one-in-a-million chance then all the more power to him. The most she would do was to support any decision he made. Fluttershy was completely on board with Spike, believing that he could really make Rarity happy. And her friend's happiness was one of the biggest motivators for her to let him try. Alex, of course, had long since made his position known to him. Though the human really wished he had just asked her out like a normal person, instead of agreeing to this over-the-top scheme.

Alex had to go and prepare himself. One thing for sure, this would be a night none of them would forget.

* * *

Rarity arrived at Twilight's doorstep at exactly five fifty-eight, dressed in one of her finer outfits, mane styled just right. She was, as she would put it, 'dressed to impress'. Though she really wanted to add some accessories to her outfit, there simply hadn't been enough time. She could only hope that what she had would be enough to show she meant business. Knocking on the door, she was surprised to see it open immediately.

"Ah, Rarity, right on time," Alex said. He was dressed in his own fancier clothes, looking rather sharp in the suit and jacket that Rarity designed. "Come in, come in." He led her in a shut the door before leading her further in. "You look nice."

"Thank you my dear. You are looking rather dashing yourself. What's the occasion?"

"Well… I suppose you can say I'm just playing my part." Rarity looked at him confused, but he waved it off. "Just a word of warning though. This… might be everything you are expecting it to be."

"Oh please, this is hardly the first time I've had to socialize with residents of Canterlot." They entered the dining room where Rarity was surprised to see Spike, dressed in his tux and bowtie, standing next to a round table that was set for two with candles flickering in the middle. Classical music was playing from somewhere, but she couldn't detect the source. "Um, Alex, dear… what is this?"

"This… is your surprise date."

"DATE!?" Spike winced a bit at the shout, but tried to remain firm. "What do you mean date? I never-." But her rambling was cut short when Alex covered her mouth and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Look, if it's any consolation, I did not approve of this. But apparently, conventional dating practice isn't in the realm of possibilities for dragons. Go figure." Rarity's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Spike. He only gave a friendly wave, uncertain about what to say. "Look, Spike really, really put a lot of effort into this. If you don't like it, that's fine. But can you at least humor him till the end? Please?"

Rarity looked uncertain. On the one hand, the fact that she was tricked into a date with Spike, Spike of all creatures, really unsettled her. There was no denying that it made her rather uncomfortable. On the other hand, the gesture was rather sweet, romantic even. A fancy, candlelight dinner for two in what was obviously an accurate fine dining experience was something that many mares, Rarity included, would have dreamed about. It would be the kind of thing one would hope to experience while dating somepony.

Except she wasn't dating Spike.

But could she really shut him down at this point? Granted she could just walk out the door and no one would stop her. But that would seem unnecessarily cruel to do, given what lengths Spike was showing he was willing to go for her. Then again, stringing him along by going with this just seemed equally cruel. A lose-lose situation all around.

"Very well… I suppose it would be rude of me to decline," she said, though in her heart she felt like she was making the wrong choice. Still, there didn't seem to be a right choice in this situation. She supposed at the very least she would get a nice dinner out of it and maybe, finally resolve this 'thing' that was between them. For her piece of mind, if nothing else.

"Thank you. I promise, I won't disappoint you Rarity," Spike said, finally speaking and quickly making his way over to a chair and pulling it out for her.

' _Decent manners to start with,'_ Rarity thought before brushing it away. _'Much better than some of- no! Bad Rarity! Keep away from those thoughts!'_ "Thank you dear," she said politely. Once they were both seated, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy came in, both wearing black jackets with Fluttershy holding a tray that had a bottle inside a bucket of ice and two glass bowls filled with fruit.

"Sup guys," the colorful Pegasus said.

"Rainbow?"

"The one and only." From around the corner of a nearby doorway, Pinkie's head popped out and fixed Rainbow with a look. She quickly cleared her throat and took the bottle. "A-anyway, your drink and appetizer." Swiftly she opened the bottle and poured them both a drink, some apple cider. She then took the bowls and placed them before the two before giving a small bow. "Your meals will be out shortly. Enjoy." She gave a quick wink to Spike before flying off with Fluttershy.

"You… seem to have planned this rather well," Rarity said in surprise. Apparently everyone was in on this. Wonderful.

"Uh, yeah. I wanted this to be, you know… special," Spike said, a bit meekly. He picked up his spoon and tried to think of something to say as silence filled the room. Not the comfortable silence that sometimes settled between them, but an awkward one. "So, um… nice weather we've been having?" He flinched immediately after saying it.

"Oh um, yes. Very… er, nice."

Spike hastily began to eat, not trusting himself to speak again. _'Nice weather? What kind of conversation starter is that,'_ he thought to himself. _'Great way to make yourself look lame… man, this isn't supposed to be this hard! I talk to Rarity all the time! Why can't I think of something to say? Why now of all times?'_ But he knew why it was so difficult. Because the fate of his love life was hanging in the balance, and he had this once shot to make the most of it. Every little thing would lead to smooth sailing or a crash and burn.

In the kitchen, Rainbow Dash flew in with Fluttershy right behind. "How's everything holding up back here?"

"Just fine," Alex said, as he was checking something in one of the ovens. "Should be ready in about fifteen minutes." He turned to look at Rainbow, observing her carefully.

"What?"

"…You… look surprising good in that outfit. It's actually kinda weird how well that looks…"

"W-what!? Just what exactly are you saying!?"

"Nothing, nothing… geez, take a compliment." He turned to his fellow kitchen staff, Applejack and Pinkie, both busy with their own tasks. "How's the dessert coming?"

"It'll be ready for baking soon," Applejack said. She was preparing what she called 'Apple Family Secret Recipe #13', an apple pie that was apparently so deliciously popular, that the one time they sold it during one of their big bake sales it nearly caused a riot. "But Ah' really ain't so sure about this…"

"Oh come on AJ, have a little faith," Rainbow said. "Seriously, it's for Spike."

"Look, Ah' want Spike to be happy too. But I don't think this is gonna work out," Applejack said sadly. "That's just how I feel about it, and he deserves to know my honest opinion. I get why you think he might have a chance, but you gotta admit, it's a mighty slim one."

"Awe, don't be so down Applejack," Pinkie said, checking on the ice cream she was in charge of. "You know what they say; a small chance is better than no chance at all!"

"And who says that exactly?"

"Well, I just did silly," Pinkie said with a smile.

"Focus everypony," Twilight said, walking into the room. "We have a successful dinner planned and we need to give it our all. They are almost done with their appetizers, so get ready to clear the table soon."

"I'm on it," Fluttershy said.

Back at the table, Rarity and Spike were sharing a rather quiet meal. The Unicorn Pony looked around, trying to think of something, anything to say. _'This… just feels… wrong.'_ This shouldn't have been happening. Not the date itself, but the silence. They should have had any number of things to talk about. They shouldn't be having to force conversation. That just wasn't how they worked. ' _He really is so sweet trying to do this. But… can it even work? When this is the result?'_

"Um, Rarity?" The white unicorn perked up and gazed to Spike at her name being called. "Um, I know you might still be… upset about all this. But, you know I really, really wanted you to know that-."

"Spike," Rarity interrupted, before he could say any more. "I'll admit it wasn't the most… pleasant thing to know you would do something like this behind my back. Quite honestly, this is something I would have expected more if we already _were_ dating, which we are not." Spike winced. That was it, this was the last time he would take relationship advice from Rainbow Dash. "There is… something I want to talk to you about. Do you mind if we change location?"

"No, no, not at all." This was bad. He was about to be rejected in the worst possible way, he just knew it. The only comfort he had was in the fact that he had tried. He had made his best shot and at the very least would not walk away with regrets. But he resolved that he would not cry, at least not in front of her. He would take his rejection with some dignity.

The two began to depart, just as Fluttershy entered the room, but they did not notice her. The shy Pegasus quickly turned around and back into the kitchen. "Everyone, Rarity and Spike are leaving," she said somewhat panicked.

"What!?" Twilight quickly levitated a clipboard to her face. "But they aren't scheduled to go anywhere until at least an hour from now!"

"I'm going after them," Alex said, running out. Going out the front door, he looked around but couldn't see where they went. "Damn it…" He ran off in a random direction, hoping to find the two. Nearly twenty minutes of searching later, he saw them at the park. Rarity had leaned down towards Spike, apparently telling him something that the human couldn't hear, before turning and walking away. And Spike… had stood there, watching her go.

Alex approached from behind Spike, cursing himself. He had really wanted to help the young drake with his problem, but it seemed to have backfired. He had interfered with something he shouldn't have, and he was unsure if any amount of apologizing would be enough to comfort the dragon. "Hey Spike," he said, looking down. "Sorry… I guess things…"

"Huh? Why are you apologizing," Spike asked, turning around. There were no tears in his eyes, no sorrowful expression. He looked completely normal, which confused Alex.

"Um… nothing. So what happened with Rarity?"

"Well…"

* * *

 _The two of them walked, Rarity leading the way and Spike following nervously behind. She still hadn't said anything, and every second was making Spike more and more apprehensive. When they finally reached the park, Rarity took a seat on a bench and patted next to her, indicating that Spike should sit as well. For a moment, they simply sat there, together, looking at the fading sunset._

" _Um, Rarity? What did you-?"_

" _In a moment dear," Rarity said. "Let's just… enjoy this for the moment." Spike silenced himself and gazed at the twilight sky. It brought a peace and tranquility to his heart and for the moment, the impending conversation with Rarity seemed like a far-away dream. "I've been… thinking. I overheard something you and Alex were talking about some time ago."_

 _Spike quickly turned to face he, eye's wide. "Rarity, I-!"_

" _Let me finish, please," Rarity said in a tone that was not to be argued with. She needed to say this, needed to get this off her chest, because at this moment she knew that if she didn't she never would. "Ever since then, I have been thinking about us. Thinking about how we have… changed." The fears and the insecurities. The mind-numbing questions and uncertain feelings. And the realization that came with it. "I know how you've felt about me. Maybe I always knew, but… I was afraid."_

" _Afraid?"_

" _Yes. Because, well… to be honest, I don't really know what it is between us. I was afraid to find out what that really meant. And…"_ 'And you deserve someone who can share that feeling with you, honestly. Someone who won't second-guess everything,' _she thought. "Spike, I…. I can't promise you anything. And I really do believe you deserve so much more than what I can offer you."_

" _But… but Rarity-."_

" _It really was a lovely gesture," Rarity said smiling. "I… I really appreciate it. But I think it's time we both stop pretending, don't you think?" Spike nodded, looking down on the ground. "Then… I think it's time you say it properly to me. And let me give you a proper response."_

 _So this was it then? Everything boiled down to this. These next few minutes were ones that Spike would never, ever forget to his dying day. For good or bad, no matter what the response… It all came down to this. The mare of his dreams would either be his… or forever let go._

" _Rarity… I…. I love you. Will you go out with me?"_

 _For a minute, Rarity didn't speak, simply absorbing the words. Words she had heard so many times in the past. Words she had thought she knew the meaning of, only to be proven wrong. Words that could never live up to the meanings they provided. The feelings they caused and the sufferings and joys they brought. Every last bit of emotion and feeling that was 'Spike' was put into them._

 _She had never heard more pure, truer words in her life._

 _She had made many mistakes in the past. Done things that she was ashamed and proud of. Decisions she had believed in with all her heart and would never look back from, and decisions she would regret for the rest of her life that she wished she could erase._

 _And now, the words she spoke were ones she was certain were not a mistake, nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing to ever, ever regret._

" _Yes."_

 _Spike felt his heart stop. The world around him faded away, only the echoing sound of Rarity's answer vibrating through his very being. "I can't say that I feel the same way about you," Rarity continued, "at least, not right now. But, after everything we've been through… I think you at the very least, deserve that chance. You have more than earned it."_

 _Spike was only vaguely aware of them standing up again, before Rarity leaned down to his level. "Thank you for the wonderful evening. You really are a unique gem, my Spikey-Wikey." At that moment, she gave him a quick peck on the forehead before turning around and walking home._

* * *

Alex could only stare flabbergasted when Spike finished talking. "That… I don't even know what to say. Congratulations."

"Yeah… thanks." Spike began to walk back towards Twilight's castle. He made it all but five steps before he collapsed to the ground.

"Spike!" Alex rushed to the downed dragon, only to find he had fainted with the goofiest looking grin on his face. "Hey, wake up! Come on, don't knock out on me now." Try as he might though, there was no response. He was out cold. Alex gave a sigh before picking him up. "Well… good job Spike." Alex walked back to Twilight's home, carefully bringing the dragon back with him. It seemed like such a shame that their carefully planned evening was now no longer necessary. But Alex didn't mind too bad.

At least none of the food would be going to waste.

* * *

 _Chapter 13 End!_

 _Love... the most volatile of emotions that can make or break the heart. With a blossoming love guiding the way forward, the path to the future becomes clearer..._

 _And the obstacles ahead approach ever closer..._

 _Tune in, next time!_

 ** _Arc 2: The Light and the Darkness - Complete!_**

 ** _Arc 3: Home is where... - Begins!_**

* * *

 ** _Achievement Unlocked - 'Filler Episodes'_**

 ** _Filler Episodes - 10pts : Every successful anime has one._**


	16. First Strike

_A/N: OMFG, I AM SO SORRY. I cannot believe that it's been a month since the last update. Guys and gals, I cannot even begin to express how much I hate my life right now that it has taken me this long to get this out. Work has been sapping all the energy out of me lately and I cannot focus on this. It doesn't help that I keep thinking about my next story after this one. BAD BRAIN!_

 _Big thanks to **Capricorn the mediocre, DrLevoda** and **Beanbagboy24** for the favs and **JOOP-ROLL** for the follow. Seriously guys, and to all of you who have been following and favorited me, I thank you so much for having to put up with my inconsistent updating schedules. I really, really don't deserve you guys, but I'm glad you've been sticking to this for so long. Fans like you make it all worthwhile and motivate me not to simply give up on my stories, especially when things bring me down and demotivate me. Special thanks to **malandy** for all the encouraging reviews as well, especially with my last story._

 ** _malandy:_** _Thanks for the review! If you want to put this up on FIMFiction, you are more than welcome to. So long as you give credit where its due, then you're welcome to do with it as you please. PMing is also fine if you want to work out finer details. Regardless, while I do strive to the best I can with what I have, I know it's not anywhere near as good as some other stories I've read. I also know it's not anywhere near as bad as some other stories I've read either. Considering I do have spellcheck and admitingly things do slip through the cracks I'd like to think I'm getting a B- out of this. As for the SpikexRarity thing... well, I do think the pairing does have merits (And really, I've seen plenty of fics that do this pairing very well), in this story it's actually something that will have plot relevance very soon. You could probably guess it after reading this chapter._

 _Okay now that all that is done with, enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 14: First Strike**_

* * *

It was a simple thing to look at. A long wooden table that had been shaped into a semi-circle, an ordinary piece of furniture that would not look out of place in such a large room, had it not been the only real piece of furniture there. Five chairs neatly arranged on the outer perimeter of the table were awaiting occupants. The table looked worn down, a testimony of having survived through the ages. Many knew this table as the meeting place for the Counsel, individuals of wisdom and political power who helped to govern and advise. Important decisions were made here, impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of others.

But that had been a long, long time ago. Now it was a relic of its former self. One that only Deimos even bothered to remember.

The individual in question was standing before this table, looking at it quietly. He was humanoid in shape, wearing a skin-tight black bodysuit that covered everything from below his neck. Runic shapes glowed blue all over his suit, providing a small amount of light in the room, as they thrummed with power. Metal, shackle-like protrusions could been seen worn around his wrists and ankles. Silver eyes gazed from beneath dirty blonde hair, and his ears were pointed as they twitched at every little sound. There was only a sense of detachment as he gazed at the table, the place where everything truly began for him.

He knew he was once like them, his own people. Ignorant of the wider world, and foolish to think that there could anything more to what he knew. He was… perhaps not happy, but content with his position in life. He had saw no reason to change anything. A normal individual, just like so many others. A piece of a greater whole, knowing his place, mindlessly obeying his daily life.

And then, he crossed the dimensions for the first time.

It was altogether a frightening experience, to be in one place that you've always known and suddenly thrust into another, unfamiliar land. But he had learned, grew strong from his experience and eventually returned to this place. And he tried, he truly tried, to get them to see reason. That this power could be used to ultimately benefit this world and its inhabitants. His reward? To be exiled from his homeland.

Since then, he had focused on himself, honing his power and going to even more worlds. And from each new world he experienced, a new piece of power was taken and made his own. He learned so much more than he ever could have believed he would be able to, even with his longevity. Every world had something to offer him, and he greedily absorbed everything he could get his hands on. And the next time he returned, it was with a declaration of war.

' _Fools, every last one of them,'_ he thought, staring at the empty chairs. They were too content to live in their little bubbles of reality that they made for themselves, sheep who had refused to see the truth. And thus he had come to a conclusion; couldn't everyone benefit from the knowledge of other worlds? If all worlds could be united somehow, it would provide a Golden Age unlike any before seen. And he knew he would be the one who would have to make it happen. He had the power to open the way forwards, and those who did not agree with his vision were merely obstacles that were in his way.

Still, conquering the worlds was a large task, one that required careful planning and understanding of how each world worked. Some worlds held magic, others didn't. Some were advanced technologically, others were content in simplicity. Though hundreds of worlds had fallen to him, it was a mere drop in the ocean. There was still a long way to go before he was done.

"My Liege." Deimos turned to see what could only be described as a fusion of man and lizard. Two pitch black horns protruded out of snow-white hair. A human face with yellow, silted eyes staring out at the Conqueror. He was shirtless, revealing a muscular frame and tribal tattoos around his neck. Arms and legs ended in not hands but four-digit claws and talons. A large protrusion of scales could be seen out of his back, perpetually on fire. In one of his clawed hands was an orb filled with blue smoke, which he held out to Deimos.

Deimos took it, staring at it for a few moments before nodding in satisfaction. "Then, the trap is set?"

"Yes," the creature before him said, bowing. "It was a… interesting spell to learn, but it should work."

"Very well, Wyrm. Then summon the Wraiths." The Wyrm nodded, before focusing his energies. From the ether, three hooded figures materialized, cloaks covering the entirety of their bodies, save for the skeletal hands that hung languidly. Deimos conjured some smoke, which spilt into three clouds before revealing images within them. One bore the visage of Princess Celestia, another of Princess Twilight and the last of Alex Wilder. "These are your targets. Keep them incapacitated, especially the Anomaly. We cannot risk anything going wrong." Dispersing the smoke, he raised his hand up and conjured a glowing portal. "Go. And do not fail me." The three Wraiths flew through the gateway without another word, intent on completing the mission they were given. The portal closed behind them, leaving the two to themselves.

"Will they be enough," the Wyrm asked, gazing at the place where the portal once lied.

"Perhaps… although in the end it matters not. This is simply to make the process somewhat easier. Victory goes to the ones most prepared after all." He began to walk away to the only doorway that led into the room. "Come, we have an army to prepare. And a new world to liberate."

The Wyrm gave a feral grin. "At once, my Lord."

* * *

"I still don't get why I have to come with you…"

"Come on Spike, I thought you'd be glad to get out of the castle once in a while. Besides, you can last one day away from Rarity." Spike merely gave Twilight a pout. "Come on, you are my number one assistant for a reason."

"I guess so…"

Twilight, Spike and Alex were currently riding in a train car, bound for the city of Canterlot. Alex himself was sleeping, while Twilight and Spike were watching the scenery pass by. Since Spike's quote, unquote 'date' with Rarity, he had been striving himself to become more mature and responsible in order to be seen as worthy to court the Unicorn of his dreams. Which had meant taking a more active role in keeping the castle clean and organized, with less complaining and griping. Not that he ever complained much, but there were times when he wondered if he was being overworked. But then he would remember Rarity sometimes having work being thrust on her as more than what he thought was reasonable to handle. But she had always took it with professionalism and never complained; at least he had never seen her complain on the job. Which meant that he too sought to be more like her in the sense of being someone who could show others they were to be taken seriously.

The first few days had been a bit awkward for their friends, but eventually things settled down. Spike hanging around Rarity wasn't something new, and it was easier to see them more as friends hanging out than a couple. Of course, it hadn't taken away the undertone that was there, but it did make the transition easier to adjust to. Rarity didn't change much either, except for the fact that she seemed, if it were even possible, a bit more comfortable in Spike's presence. To many outsiders or casual onlookers nothing had changed, but their friends could see a noticeable difference. The weight of her prior thoughts on the two of them was lifted, and she appeared genuinely happy with how things turned out, even if it was through the most convoluted of means.

Now though, they were headed to Canterlot on important business. Spike had received a letter from Princess Celestia, urging Twilight and Alex to the castle to discuss something important that had come up. Their immediate thoughts were that this something had to do with the Observer, who had promised his help in what limited ways he could give it. Alex hoped it was something to help him get home. Twilight was only about halfway to learning the spell that would be needed for him to travel through the dimensions, but he still needed a means to control it so that it would send him home and not to some inhospitable world.

As the train slowed to a stop, Twilight began to nudge Alex awake. "Alex, wake up. We're here."

"Already," he asked, yawning as he rubbed his eyes trying to wake himself fully. "That seemed faster than I thought." The trio stepped out into Canterlot proper and began to make their way to the large castle in the distance. Alex was somewhat used to the grandeur of castles considering he was living in one, but this one was even bigger and more outlandish than Twilight's own. He supposed it was fitting for someone who was the co-ruler of all of Equestria.

Of course, he could enjoy this trip much more if everypony wasn't _staring_ at him.

Why did it seem that of all the places he had been to up to this point, only in Ponyville did they accept him without question? ' _Well, no they had lots of questions about me,'_ Alex thought, thinking back on it. But the ponies there didn't treat him like the circus had come to town. They had been curious, yes, but it wasn't the awkward look curiosity that seemed to follow him everywhere else. He supposed having been living there for the last few months had somewhat tempered the feeling of being so out of place, but now the fact that he was an outsider came roaring into the forefront of his thoughts.

He forcefully pushed those thoughts away, intent on ignoring the looks thrown his way. Some of the ponies had given greetings to Twilight, bowing in front of her like the royalty she was. She didn't mind, though she did wish they wouldn't do such things for her. She had always been modest when it came to being a Princess, never asking others to call her by titles or to treat her differently than before. It was an uphill battle though, as hundreds of years of traditions could not be changed so easily.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the castle proper, two guards in front of the great doorways that led inside saluting to her and Spike. "Greetings, Princess Twilight," the guard on the left spoke. "To what do we owe this unexpected visit?"

"Hello, Big Shield," Twilight responded cheerfully. She knew the names of most of the Royal Guards from her time spent in Canterlot, with her brother being the Captain of the guards for a time. "We came to see Princess Celestia, if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not," he said, eyeing Alex with a hint of curiosity and suspicion. Alex merely stared back impassively, not wanting to cause a scene. He supposed considering they were in charge of security that they would treat him with a bit more disdain than others. "Is this… thing with you?"

"He's a human, his name is Alex, and yes he's with us," Twilight said in a tone that bore no argument. The two guards nodded. She was a Princess and her orders were meant to be followed. If he was deemed trustworthy by her, then they would at least trust in her word if nothing else. They opened the doors, allowing the three to head inside. Once through, Twilight turned apologetically at Alex. "Sorry about that. Maybe I should have sent a message ahead."

"It's fine. I'm sure they were just doing their jobs," he said, trying to brush it off. Several more guards, maids, and other random ponies walked by, a few giving him curious looks before returning to whatever duties they were performing. He was glad for it, as he placed one hand on his sword more for comfort than anything else. He had truly grown to rely on it.

They came upon the throne room to which the guards opened the doors for them without hesitation. Alex looked around for the moment, taking in the grandness of the hall and noticing the various stained-glass windows, some of which held pictures of Twilight and her friends along with some manner of creature. One of them had even been entirely dedicated to Spike, who looked to be holding up a heart-shaped object made of crystal.

Redirecting his gaze to the front he was met with the calming smile of Princess Celestia and another Alicorn who he did not recognize with dark fur and a mane that flowed with the ethereal look of starlight. This, he surmised, was Princess Luna who he had heard of but not yet met. "Twilight, it is good to see you again. And you as well, Alex," Celestia said warmly. "I trust that you are having a pleasant stay in Equestria, despite the circumstances that brought you here?"

"Yes. Twilight and her friends had been very accommodating regarding my situation," he said. His gaze shifted to Luna silently asking a question.

Thankfully, Celestia was good at such subtleties. "Ah, yes, I believe you haven't yet had the pleasure… Alex, I would like to introduce you to my sister and co-ruler, Princess Luna."

"Greetings, human Alex," Luna said with a nod of her head. Alex noted that she sounded much more regal than that of her sister. "Our sister has spoken of many things about you to us, but it is good that we can meet with you face to face at last."

Alex gave a respectful bow. "I too have heard many things about you as well. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Princess Luna."

"Now that we have introductions out of the way, may I ask why you have come here," Princess Celestia asked. Alex felt something wrong with the situation, a sense of foreboding coming over him. His gaze began to shift around the room.

"Well, we were hoping you would be the one enlightening us. You called us here for something?"

"Did I? I don't recall sending you a letter." Twilight and Spike looked confused, before holding out the letter they had received to Celestia. She took it and began to read the contents. The penmanship was spot on as was the signature, and had she not known with complete certainty that she didn't in fact write this, she would be hard pressed to argue otherwise. Luna peeked over Celestia's shoulder to read the letter as well.

"This does look like you wrote this, sister," Luna said. "Perhaps you simply forgot? Memories tend to slip in one's old age," she teased.

"This sounds serious enough that I wouldn't forget sending it. And I'll have you know I happen to keep well for myself in my so-called 'old age'."

Suddenly, without warning a chill permeated the air. Everyone looked up to see portal opening up without warning, as though the air was ripped open. Three cloaked figures appeared from it, and with their arrival a terrible dark energy that pulsed throughout the room. "What in the world," Alex muttered aloud.

"T-t-those t-t-t-things…" Spike stammered out, terrified at their mere presence. Whatever they were, everyone in the room knew that they were something that didn't seem to belong, as if their very existence was something that mocked the balance of the world.

Without bothering to wait, Alex drew his blade and pointed it at the creatures. **"Incinerate!"** The black flames called to him immediately, launching themselves onto the creatures and enveloping them in fire. The action startled everyone out of their shock, and at that moment Celestia realized that she had unconsciously been charging a great deal of power within her and Alex had merely beaten her to the punch of striking those things down first. It was as if her body knew instinctively that they had to be destroyed.

' _So those are the black flames Twilight mentioned,'_ the Princess of the Sun thought to herself as she watched the fire spread. _'It seems he possesses a great deal of control over them… though whether or not that is a good thing…'_ Her musings were cut short when the fires were suddenly extinguished, with nothing having happened to the creatures. Their heavy cloaks, which obscured all their features, had not even been singed in the blast. "No effect."

"Sister, we cannot let those things out of this castle," Luna said, also having charged her magic and ready to blast those things the moment they moved.

"I don't think that's something we have to worry about," Celestia said, noticing the way they were staring at her, Alex and Twilight. Whatever they were, they had come specifically for them. Was it a coincidence they were all here, together at this moment? She didn't think so. _'So it was a trap.'_

The three cloaked beings burst into movement, and instantly everyone reacted.

Twilight quickly picked Spike up and teleported, just as the first cloaked being struck where she was standing moments before, a skeletal hand clawing at the ground from the missed attack. Two Royal Guards, having been silently on watch within the room, magically thrust their spears towards the monster, intending on stopping it then and there. The sharp metal blades pierced into the creature, but no blood was spilled or even a cry of agony to be heard. Instead, it turned to face where Twilight had teleported to, completely uncaring of the weapons now embedded within it and launching itself at her once more. She retaliated with blasts of magic, but the creature merely batted them aside without a thought as it continued to rampage.

Alex was only faring slightly better. He swung his sword, unleashing wave after wave of fire at the creature after him. And while it wasn't as powerful as the pure blasts of magic Twilight was firing, it wasn't something that could be deflected. It didn't deter the creature from trying to power through though, and while the flames were only marginally slowing it down, they weren't hurting the thing at all. _'Damn, is it because it's dark magic? Or simply not powerful enough?'_ He took notice of the guards, who had become dumbfounded at what had occurred to the monster they attacked. Thankfully, these things had seemed single-mindedly focused on what they were after. Otherwise, there was no telling what kind of casualties would occur. "Hey! Go get help! As much of it as you can," Alex shouted to guards. They broke out of their stupor long enough to assess the situation. While they wanted to stay to help protect the Princesses, they knew there was little they could do at this point to help, at least on their own.

"Princesses, we will be back with reinforcements soon," one of them shouted, as the two quickly left the throne room. The creature targeting Alex lunged once more, to which the human dived to the side and quickly brought his sword up, slicing through the outstretched arm of the monster. If the thing had felt any pain, it was once more ignored as the limb dissolved into mist. The creature focused once more and quickly regrew the limb it had lost, the material of the cloak also reforming around it.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me…"

Celestia and Luna were having the most success with their target, though that was only in proportion to what was happening with the others. The combined efforts of the sisters had forced the creature they were fighting to conjure a sickly green looking shield to absorb the magical strikes made against it. And while the attacks had the creature almost completely stopped in its tracks, the fact that it could still take such punishment to begin with was a serious problem.

Alex and Twilight quickly moved so they were back to back, the two creatures floating before them. Spike was on Twilight's back, trying to force himself to stop shaking. Something about them was seriously spooking him. _'Well, not like I can say much about that,'_ Alex thought. Something deep within him was causing him to be on edge from their mere presence as well. "Any luck?"

"No, they keep deflecting my magic," Twilight said, lamenting her own lack of power. If her friends were here, she was confident they would be able to defeat these things, or at the very least stand a much better chance. "How about you?"

"Well, I can cut them, but it doesn't seem to do much," Alex admitted. His black fire was absolutely useless against them except for slowing them down. And that wasn't much to begin with. "Just what are these things?"

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like them." Both of them were waiting, as the two creatures seemed to halt their assault for the moment. The two creatures turned away to their surprise, facing Celestia and Luna and raising their arms. Black chains shot out from underneath their cloaks, rushing to the unaware Alicorn sisters. "Princess!"

Twilight's warning came moments too late, as the chains wrapped around both Celestia and Luna. Instantly, both of them felt themselves being cut off from their magic, weakened as the chains began to drain at their energy. Seeing the opening, the third creature shot forwards towards Celestia. Both Twilight and Alex attempted to divert its path with their magic, but the creature brushed it all aside. It raised a skeletal hand and touched Celestia's head with it.

The creature holding her down with the chains retracted them, as the one that touched her dissolved into mist before disappearing completely. The shine of her mane dulled as her eyes adopted a glossy and far-away look. She swayed for a moment before collapsing into a heap, her eyes looking dead and unresponsive. "Sister," Luna cried out in desperation, trying to summon the energy needed to break the bindings. Twilight and Alex stared at the spot Celestia fell in shock, unwilling to think of what could be the worst possible outcome was…

That shock and inaction had cost them. The creature no longer binding Celestia changed targets to Twilight, chains launching at her. They bound themselves to her, as she cried out feeling the magic within cut off from her. Alex broke out of his surprise and immediately struck at the chain with his blade. Whatever properties the chain had though transferred over to him the moment the blade hit it. He fell to his knees, completely winded and out of strength, as though he had just finished running a marathon. His sword clattered to the floor uselessly, as the monster reeled itself towards Twilight, hand outstretched to do whatever it had done to Celestia on her as well.

"Leave her alone!" Spike jumped up between the two of them, unleashing his fire at the monster. It paid no mind to it, but it had one effect. That being the creature could not see what it was about to touch. When the thing touched Spike's head, it too dissolved away, taking the chains with it and causing the spears that were still embedded into its body to fall to the ground. Spike collapsed to the ground seconds after, his own gaze lifeless and dull.

""S-spike? Spike, wake up!" Twilight crawled towards Spike, shaking him with her hooves. "Spike, no… no, no, no, no…" Alex felt ice run through his veins. He could not believe what he had witnessed before his eyes. And there was still one more. His gazed turned to see the creature had released Luna from its grasp, but the midnight blue Alicorn wasn't able to get up. It seemed to be taking all her strength just to stay conscious. The final creature charged to Alex, as he tried to will his body to move.

' _No… this can't be… this can't be how I'll-!'_

Before the creature could reach him though, its progress was impeded by a blue barrier. Alex looked shocked as the blue light formed hexagonal patterns surrounding the creature, containing it in a cocoon of energy. The monster tried to break free from its prison, but the barrier held firm around it. A flash of light caused Alex to look away briefly before he saw that the thing inside had vanished. He couldn't believe what had happened, but before he could question it, a voice spoke up from behind.

"My apologies for being late." Alex turned to see a man wearing a trench coat and tinted visors over his eyes was standing behind him, looking at the scene impassively. "It seems that I wasn't too late though."

"You… you are the Observer," Luna said in disbelief. Alex was also surprised at meeting him. He wasn't sure what to feel at this point. He was relieved that he was alive, but Celestia and Spike…

"We don't have much time," he said, walking over to Celestia and kneeling down. He reached out to her, holding fingers at her neck and gazing into her eyes. "Well, the good news is that they aren't dead," he said, to which an immense relief hit them all. For a few minutes, they had all assumed the worst had happened. "The bad news is… I have no idea what happened to them."

"Oh thank goodness," Twilight said, hugging Spike's limp body to her. Though unresponsive, she was crying tears of happiness to know that her precious friend and mentor were still alive. Which meant there was still a chance to save them from whatever it was those creatures did to them.

"What were those things," Alex asked the Observer, who was helping Luna to stand.

"I don't know. I had trouble just tracking them down," he said. "However, what I can say for certain is… the Enemy has struck first it would seem."

The doors to the throne room burst open at that point, causing two dozen guards to spill into the room. "Your Highness!"

"Ah, good. This should be enough," the Observer stated. "Twilight, I would recommend that you call your friends here right away. Their strength will be needed. Now, I need at least four of you guards," he said pointing to the Royal Guard, "to help transport our victims someplace safe. I assume that there is an infirmary here somewhere. The rest of you should put this castle on lockdown and look for anything out of place. No one leaves until the situation is resolved. We need to keep information on what happened here to the absolute minimum. No one outside of this room is to know what happened aside from Twilight's companions."

One of the guards shouted, "Who are you to order-!" But his rant was cut short by Luna.

"Do what he says," she yelled out in her Royal Canterlot Voice, overriding whatever it was he was about to say. "We were attacked, in our own castle no less. Right now is not the time to panic or call into question the advice of our allies." The guards looked hesitant at first, but quickly resolved to obey, gingerly carrying both Spike and Celestia up and out of the room. The rest went to proceed with shutting down the castle and barring all known exits. Twilight followed, to make sure Spike would be okay and to quickly write a letter to her friends. Finally, Luna, Alex and the Observer were the only ones that remained. "Thank you. I do not think I could have made that order calmly," Luna said. Deep inside, a part of her was still very much shaken. Though she was a ruler much like Celestia, she didn't have nearly the amount of experience that her older sister did, especially with such a trying situation.

"Damn it all, why did this happen," Alex asked, punching at the ground. His knuckles hurt from the impact, but he couldn't help to think that somehow this was his fault. That his presence had once more put others in danger. "I'm so damn useless!"

"Do not be so hard on yourself, Alex," Luna said walking up and laying a wing on his shoulder. "You fought admirably considering the situation. If anything, I blame my own weakness. Celestia and I should have been more than enough to combat those creatures, and yet together we could not take down even one of them."

"Regardless, there is no more use in thinking about it. Right now, you should go be with them," the Observer stated.

"And what about you? What are you going to do now," Alex asked.

"Simple. I'm going to do what I was made to do." The Observer moved the sleeve of his coat up to reveal a device that Alex thought looked much like a watch. Adjusting something on it, he was surprised to see the blue lights beginning to surround him, much like it had the creature before. "I'm going to observe… and figure out the answer to this riddle."

And with a bright flash of light, he had gone.

* * *

 _Chapter 14 End!_

 _Deimos, the Conqueror, has struck a mighty blow against the forces of good. And though the Observer has come to help, it may have been too little, too late. With the fates of Spike and Celestia unknown, can our heroes manage to bounce back in time to stop the outbreak of war?_

 _Find out, next time!_


	17. Reflections - Part 1

_A/N: Thanks to **frimboy3772** for the follow and fav. Welcome aboard.  
_

 _I... have nothing to say to this. Only that I'm glad it didn't take me nearly as long to get out as the last one... So enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories**_

 _ **By: Snidne**_

 _ **MLP & Characters © Hasbro**_

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

 _ **Chapter 15: Reflections – Part 1**_

* * *

The sound of birds chirping and the feeling of warm sunlight was what woke Spike up from his peaceful sleep. He stretched his body out, rolling out of his bed with practiced ease as he set about waking himself up. Opening the door to the bedroom he shared with Twilight, he walked the small hallway towards the restroom to prepare himself to face the day. Taking care of his necessities, he splashed some water on his face and tried to straighten out his scales before giving himself a quick wink in the mirror. Feeling perked up, he left the room and proceeded to head downstairs…

Straight into the middle of his shared home with Twilight, the Golden Oaks Library.

He thought about what he was dreaming of last night. It was strange, and he distinctly remembered Twilight and Celestia in it. Luna as well. Perhaps Rarity? The more he tried to think of it, the more it slipped away. Deciding not to let himself get distracted, he proceeded to make his way into the kitchen, looking for Twilight to wish her a good morning. But the tree-house was silent, without a sound to be heard. "Huh, guess Twilight must have had things to do…" Deciding not to think about it too hard, he went about his morning chores. Hopefully he could get them done soon and go hang out with Rarity at her shop.

As Spike began to dust, his mind wandered back to his dream. Something in the back of his mind was telling him that it was important to remember, but for the life of him could not remember why that was so. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on such things, and there was plenty to do that would need his full attention, even without Twilight being there to remind him of it. Thankfully it wasn't 'Re-shelving Day' otherwise he would be stuck here all day and he really wanted to go out and enjoy what the morning would bring.

It only took him a few hours, but in that time he had been undisturbed by anything. It was a bit odd that nopony had come by to check out or return books in all that time, but it wasn't as if it was an unheard of occasion. And the fact Twilight wasn't around wasn't much of a surprise either. She was the Princess of Friendship and had lots of things to do that would take her away from home for sometimes hours or even days at a time. Hopefully whatever it was didn't involve all of her friends. He would have liked to spend some time getting closer to his unrequited love.

' _Though she did promise to give me a chance…'_ Spike stopped himself, blushing brightly. _'Wait, what!? Where did that thought come from!?'_ He knew his chances of Rarity actually liking him, much less going out on a date with him, were close to zero, but he never would let that stop him. Still to have such a thought… _'Maybe it was my dream? Yeah, that had to be it. Get a grip, Spike…'_

Spike left the library, making sure to lock the door and went off to Rarity's place. Along the way, he looked around and noticed that he was the only one out today. Nopony could be seen around, to which Spike grew more and more confused. "Where is everypony?" Was something happening? There were no screams or destroyed buildings, so that meant no monster attacks. Was there a Pinkie Pie Party happening that he forgot about? It was possible, but he didn't know of anything happening that would warrant a celebration. Then again, Pinkie would likely throw a party to celebrate having taken her millionth breath of fresh air, so perhaps it wasn't too farfetched…

Reaching Carousal Boutique, Spike knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer. Several minutes went by, but nothing happened. "That's weird…" Even if Rarity was indeed not home, there was a good likelihood that Sweetie Belle would be here, as she liked to visit her sister's place from time to time. "What's with today?" Something just didn't feel right. Aside from the fact that he had not seen a soul all day, everything appeared normal. Stands were filled with goods, waiting to be sold. Everything was peaceful. The library was standing tall, just as it had been before Tirek had shown up…

Spike gripped his head as a sharp pain rushed through his skull. _'The library… why is that here?'_ Spike remembered seeing it destroyed by Tirek in his attempt to gain complete control over all of Equestrian Magic. It was something one didn't just forget. And yet it was standing there like nothing had happened. _'Twilight's castle isn't here either.'_ Indeed, the large structure that had been his new home wasn't anywhere to be found. Another sharp pain caused him to close his eyes and grip his head harder, in order to try and distract himself from it.

The sound of a scream caused him to open his eyes again to a much different scene.

Dark, thick clouds filled the sky, blotting out the sun. Where there was once a peaceful scenery, was now covered in destruction. Huge chunks of the ground looked as though something had torn up the earth. Buildings that once stood tall were in rubble. There was fire everywhere. Spike turned to see Rarity's home had also undergone a change, the roof having collapsed on itself, the front door blown open and barely hanging on its hinges. Fire raged inside, consuming all the furniture and fabrics, turning them to ash. Spike backed away, a look of confusion and fear on his face. "What… what's happening? What is going on!?"

"Well, about time you figured it out. I suppose that doesn't make you completely useless." Spike jumped slightly hearing a voice behind him, and he turned around to see a strange sight: himself. The other dragon looked exactly as Spike did, a perfect copy of the young drake. Except this Spike was wearing an arrogant smirk and looking at his double with extreme disdain. There was an air of supposed superiority, much like that of an older, more experienced dragon. Spike had felt it before, when he had gone on his own soul-searching quest during the Dragon Migration from the many other dragons he encountered.

"Who are you? Why do you look like me," Spike questioned, still unsure about what he was witnessing.

The other 'Spike' merely gave a sigh. "I take that back, you really are stupid aren't you?" He shook his head in disappointment. "Isn't it obvious? I'm you." Spike looked confused at the statement, before his double continued, "Well, I suppose in a technical sense, I'm the 'dragon' in you. I'm your love of gemstones. Your ability to breathe fire. Your greed…" he said with a wicked smirk.

"You… no, no, you are not me," Spike denied, not wanting to believe it. _'This is just a dream… just a dream…'_

"You'd like that, wouldn't you," the copy said to Spike's surprise. "I'm you, I know what you're thinking. How typical of you." He looked at the destruction all around him, opening his arms wide. "Looks nice doesn't it? Everything we did…"

"I didn't do anything," the dragon said angry. "You did this!"

" _We_ did this, remember? On the anniversary of your Hatching Day." Spike could never forget that day, even if he wanted to. "That day, when you embraced your dragon side for the first… and regrettably, last time. Before you decided that you didn't want to be like a _real_ dragon," he said with a sneer. "A few hours of blissful freedom, and then you shut me away without a word."

"Stop it," Spike yelled at him. "I'll never be like that again. I promised them!"

At this, the double laughed. "You really think it's that easy? You think if you just close your eyes and cover your ears I'll magically go away? No, I'll always be here. I'm a part of you. The part of you that _likes_ being big, and strong, and powerful. You can deny it all you want, but I wouldn't exist if you _really_ didn't want me to." Spike wasn't sure what to think about that. Was there really a part of him that liked being that big, scary, destructive monster? He could barely believe it. He had nearly hurt so many of his friends and felt genuinely guilty afterwards. But he couldn't deny there was a point between when it all started and just before he had lost his senses to his desires that it felt good. That it felt _right_.

"So why are you here," Spike asked, trying to distract himself from the fact that he was apparently having a crisis with himself.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here… to get rid of you," he said with hate. Spike took a nervous step back. "I hate the fact that I'm stuck in this weak body. That our pride as a dragon is being stepped on by these ponies. They should fear and respect us for what we are! Even your precious Princesses know that we deserve so much more. But you are holding us back. Well no more." And suddenly before his eyes, Spike's clone began to grow. Taller and taller, his arms and legs lengthening, scales and claws growing. "And if you won't embrace the glory of being a dragon, then I'll take over this body and _make_ you realize what you are throwing away." Spike continued to back away, as his double reached the apex of his growth, being as tall as the once orderly buildings around them. " **Now let's see how** _ **you**_ **like it to be left to rot in a cage!** "

At this, the larger, feral dragon roared out, causing Spike to turn and run away. Whatever that was, he knew that he was no match for it. He needed to hide. He needed help. He needed Twilight. The large dragon watched him go, before spreading out a set of wings and flapping them, rising up into the air. _'That's right, my weaker self… run away. Run as much as you want. But you should know that no matter how far you run…_

' _You can never outrun_ _ **what**_ _you are…'_

* * *

A lone tree on a hill, the leaves bright green flourishing with the essence of spring. The midday sun, shining down on a spot of peaceful tranquility. Far below, as if separated from the world, was the city of Canterlot. It was a beautiful and relaxing location, and for Celestia it was a little slice of heaven. A picnic basket was resting next to the tree, as Celestia ate a sandwich while enjoying the relaxing sounds of nature.

The castle was nice, but there were times when she really needed moments alone, away from the hustle and stress of being Equestria's sole monarch. And sometimes, the castle itself would be too stuffy for her mood, so she would leave for an hour or so and simply unwind. It was therapeutic for her, and in many ways was sometimes the only way she could allow herself a chance to truly let her guard down. She loved her subjects dearly, but always having to put on a strong front was tiring. Especially when one does it for so very long.

' _Now if only Luna could enjoy this with me,'_ she thought. She cast her gaze into the sky. Though it wouldn't be out for another few hours, she could already imagine the moon and the stars in their positions, the image of the Mare in the Moon gazing down upon the world from the celestial body. _'Wait… Mare in the Moon? No, wasn't Luna…'_

Celestia tried to think back to what she was doing before all this. She was serving the Royal Court, when Twilight had come to see her. She brought Spike, and an unfamiliar guest. And then… and then… _'Why can't I remember? I can't be getting that old.'_ For some reason she was drawing a blank. But something in her mind told her it was important that she remember. ' _Was Luna really there? So why do I still think of her being trapped…'_

Something was wrong. She could feel it.

"Thou should have just accepted it for what it was. It would have been much easier on you, dearest Sister." Celestia looked to see the form of Luna walking up to her, looking exactly how she remembered her being. And yet, something was still wrong. "Yes… turning away from reality is so much easier than facing it, wouldn't you agree?"

"Who… what are you? You are not Luna, so why do you look like her?"

"Oh? Would you prefer something else then?" As she spoke, 'Luna' began to transform, as dark energies swirled about her form. Celestia watched in shock as for the second time in her life, her sister's visage was twisted into the form of Nightmare Moon. "There… does that make this easier on you?"

Celestia readied herself, drawing on her magic. "I'll ask you only once more. What are you?"

"Oh, I think you know exactly what I am," Nightmare Moon replied, not even the least bit worried about her. "But go on… why not try to fight me? Or is it that you can't bear to look into the face of your greatest failure?" Celestia's eyes narrowed before she fired a blast of magic at her. The Nightmare pony responded in kind, negating her strike. "Was that all? Perhaps you should call upon your precious student once more? Yes, she can certainly succeed where you failed."

"If you think you can rattle me with words alone, you are quite mistaken," Celestia said, firing more blasts of magic. Nightmare Moon retaliated with her own blasts of magic, easily keeping up with the Princess of the Sun. The dark mare then charged at Celestia, the action taking the white Alicorn by surprise and knocking her onto the ground.

"Tis a good look for you, sister, on the ground before me." Celestia looked up in anger, then surprise at what she saw. The moon was eclipsing the sun, a dark shadow being cast on the ground around her. The tree she had been sitting under previously was now dead and lifeless, the leaves all gone leaving only a skeleton of branches twisting away from the gnarled tree. The grass around her was now brown and worn away, as though not a drop of rain had landed on the ground for countless years.

The most startling change however, were the graves. Rows and rows of them, as far as she could see. Engraved on each one was the name of a pony and underneath that a carving of a Cutie Mark. Celestia could only stare speechless at what had happened. "Well now," Nightmare Moon's voice came, snapping her out of her stupor, "do you like what I've done with the place? So much more… honest."

"What is honest about this," Celestia demanded as she stood back up. "I don't know what it is you want, but I will not break so easily!" Celestia took to the sky, with Nightmare Moon following right behind her. Their magical duel began to take to the sky, launching blasts of concentrated magic at one another in an attempt to take the other out. Celestia's face showed only frustration while her opponent merely wore a look of confidence.

"You cannot win, dear sister! You never could hope to beat me without the Elements of Harmony!"

"Silence! You are not my sister!"

As the magical battle raged on, Celestia could only become more and more frustrated as her attacks were easily parried by Nightmare Moon. The dark mare could only grin as her victory grew closer and closer. _'That's right, Celestia. Keep telling yourself its okay. Keep believing in that mask you wear to others. I know what your heart truly speaks…_

' _I know that darkness deep inside, very well…'_

* * *

Alex sat in his chair, watching Spike and Celestia their beds in the Royal Infirmary, as they were attempting to recover from what happened to them. At least, that was what he was hoping they were doing. Twilight had gone to ensure her friends passage into the castle while Luna was attempting damage control. That left him to watch over the two in hopes of making sure nothing else would happen to them.

He gazed to the door, waiting to see who would come in first, Twilight and her friends or Princess Luna. Honestly, he was half expecting Rainbow Dash to come barreling in, demanding answers and probably finding a way to blame him for this. Though it wasn't as if he didn't feel guilty as it was.

The door opened and Luna walked in, looking a bit tired from her dealings with the others in the castle. "Has there been any change in them," she asked, walking up to the bed her sister was on.

"Nothing. They just… lie there. And no word from the Observer either."

"I see… this is most troubling." Luna placed a hoof on Celestia's mane, her eyes shining with resolute determination. Her sister had always done so much for her and the citizens of Equestria. Luna knew it was her time to repay her for everything she had done for her, especially after being freed from dark power that once gripped her.

Thinking about it she turned to the human, was looked deep in thought about something. From what she had been told, and what she had witnessed, the same corrupting dark power that once was hers had been found in him. And while initially he had succumbed to it, from what she saw he had now complete mastery over it. Dark magic was very powerful, but that power had a tendency to corrupt the wielders of such dangerous magic. Very, very few individuals could use Dark magic without being overwhelmed by the power within. Then there was the fact that sometimes this power gained its own malicious 'will'. She wondered what the human possessed that made him nearly immune to it.

She pushed the thought away. It was best not to think of such things for now.

The door opened again, and this time Alex knew what was coming. What he did not expect was who it would be coming from. "Alex! What happened to Spike? Is he okay? Can we help him!? What do we do!?"

"Rarity, calm down," Twilight said.

"Do NOT tell me to just calm down Twilight! My poor Spikey Wikey was hurt! It's terrible! It's tragic! It's the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!"

Alex only blinked in surprise before giving a sigh. "I'm sorry, Rarity. We still don't know what it is that even happened to him. I couldn't-."

"Now don't you finish that sentence," Applejack said. "Twi' told us about what happened. You'll did your best, can't fault you for that." Rainbow Dash looked like she really wanted to refute that point, but stayed silent nonetheless. "Ah' reckon it would have been worse if you weren't there to help."

"Applejack…"

"Well, whatever! If we're done with that, we gotta come up with something to help," Rainbow said taking charge. "Come on, Twilight, you're supposed to be the smart one. You have to have some idea of what to do."

"Well, I have thought about it… but honestly, I'm worried that doing the wrong thing will only hurt them more then help," Twilight said with a sad frown. In truth, it was more the fact that she was dealing with her mentor and what she saw as an adopted son that was keeping her from thinking properly. That they were those she loved hindered her in ways she knew nothing else would.

She had a much more profound respect for doctors all of a sudden.

"In that case, my timing couldn't be better." Everyone jumped when they saw the Observer was standing before them, having appeared from seemingly nowhere. "Greetings. Allow me to formally introduce myself to those of you who don't know me. I am-."

"Oh neat, how'd you do that," Pinkie asked, suddenly appearing behind him and gazing at his visor over his shoulder. "Can you teach me how to do that?" To his credit, the Observer didn't even flinch at her antics.

"Practice. Lots of practice. And no, we don't have time right now. In any case, I am called the Observer. As I am one who simply watches, I cannot act freely to disturb the natural order of the world. It is against my… code, of sorts. However, considering the circumstances, this is a bit of a special case. So my help is a bit limited."

"Oh, um, thank you for that then," Fluttershy said. Despite the way he looked and spoke, Fluttershy felt a certain ease in speaking to him. Outwardly the Observer appeared cold and aloof, but she could feel a gentle warmth coming from within him. It was almost like talking to one of her animal friends.

"So, what did you find out," Alex asked.

"From what I could figure out, those creatures are beings that attack an individual's psyche." Everyone but Twilight and Luna looked confused. "Though they possess many forms of magical power and are nearly impossible to destroy while in the physical world, they become much more vulnerable after they use their power."

"Wait, wait, back up a sec," Rainbow said. "What do you mean by 'attacking someone's psyche'?"

"Every being possesses both positive and negative aspects of themselves. You could say it's a darkness within oneself that takes on many facets. Hatred and jealousy, self-doubt, a desire for destruction, everyone possesses the possibilities of these things. Some are more effective than others. What these creatures do is use those aspects of oneself to mentally attack their targets." The Observer looked to Spike and Celestia. "Physically, they are fine. However, right now they are trapped, in a prison of their own making within their minds."

"Then we just have to wake them up, right," Rarity asked.

"It's not that simple. Think of them as being more in a coma than anything else. And while they are knocked out, those darker aspects are trying to break them down mentally. Even if you were to help, there's no way to know what could be happening to them right now."

"So what, are you trying to say there is nothing we can do," Alex said angrily.

"Well… it might be possible to help them if you could go into their minds. I'm not sure how you'd be able to though. Attempting to forge a mental connection to them in this state…"

"No, there is a way," Luna said, an idea sparking up. "My talent… the power of Dreamwalking. You say to think of them as if they were in a coma… but that can also be seen as 'sleeping'. And if they are asleep, then that means that whatever is happening may function similar to dreams."

"Princess Luna, that's brilliant," Twilight exclaimed.

"That could work… but you must realize the danger of this."

"Then that is a risk we must take," Luna said. "Twilight, I can give you a crash course in Dreamwalking so you can enter Spike's mind. I will save my sister."

"Um, Princess," Rarity began, "if it's not too much to ask, is there any way for us to go in with you?"

"Well… it should be possible. But, I'm not sure if it will be safe for you."

"Hold on, if there is a chance to redeem myself in all this, I'm taking it," Alex said. "I feel responsible for what happened. I know, it's not really my fault, but I felt I could have done more. Please, let me go too!"

"Hey, don't forget about us," Rainbow said, pumping herself up. "It's not every day we can save Princess Celestia!"

"I wouldn't recommend it," the Observer said. "Would I be correct in assuming that when you perform this 'Dreamwalking' you will be vulnerable to attack?" Luna only nodded in response. "You and Twilight were targets in the last attack. It's very possible the enemy may come back to try and finish you off. Therefore, I would recommend that at most, two of you can accompany the Princesses. The rest must guard you all in the event of something happening."

"But can't you help us too," Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah! Then we can all go on the adventure," Pinkie said.

"Unfortunately, as I stated before, my help is limited. I cannot stay here much longer. Especially since its best that the enemy not know of my involvement. However, I will still support you from the shadows. I'm sorry, but this is about all I can do for you."

"It's fine. Thank you for everything you've done for us," Alex said. "For now, we need to focus on getting us-."

"Hold on," Rainbow said, flying up to Alex with a glare. "Why should we let you go? I should be the one going!"

"Rainbow…"

"I can get why you want to go, but I have to do this. This is the only way I can pay Celestia back for everything she has been doing for me," Alex said. He could still remember, in what felt like so long ago when he first met her, just outside of his welcoming party. The promise that Celestia made to him, a person she had no reason to trust or believe in. It was the defining moment that sparked the beginnings of hope for him, hope that would lead him back to his home. "Please, let me do this."

For a moment, Rainbow didn't say anything, only glaring at Alex. Finally, she sighed out, "Fine. But you better make it back with her okay, or you'll have me to answer to, got it?"

"Got it." Alex couldn't help but smile at it all. Their friendship was definitely weird, even if it did work out in the end. "So, the four of us go in, bring these two back and we call it a win. Pinkie, prepare the victory party!"

Pinkie saluted as she declared 'Aye, aye, Captain!" With that, she turned and dashed out of the room, probably intent on making a cake.

"Pinkie, wait! We're supposed to be watching over everyone," Fluttershy said in a panic.

"Why not keep her company, Sugarcube," Applejack said cheerfully. "Me and RD can handle just about anything that comes our way. 'Sides, it might be easier to watch them in shifts."

"Are you sure?"

"No worries Fluttershy," Rainbow said confidently. "No way anyone is gonna get the drop on me."

"If you're sure…"

"Now then, before you head in," the Observer stated, and everyone jumped at that, before realizing that he hadn't left yet, "there is something you must know about what you are going to face in there. The power of those creatures amplifies the darkness of the heart and uses it to fight against its victim. Meaning that whatever it is you will face inside, is something that has already existed within them from the beginning.

"Understand? No matter how much we may try to hide away the darkness within us, they will find it and bring it to the surface. Ultimately, they must be the ones who strike down and overcome their inner demons." Everyone nodded. Alex especially knew what that was about. Control of the dark power within him had come from control over his emotional state and the roots of its power.

"Right," Twilight said standing tall. "Alright, everyone let's get going!"

* * *

 _Chapter 15 End!_

 _The Heart's Mirror, which shows the truth both good and evil... Facing the darkness within themselves, will Spike and Celestia be able to overcome the trials ahead? With the help of Twilight and Luna, a chance remains for hope to blossom._

 _Find out, next time!_


End file.
